PRINCETON.  N.  J.  if. 


Purchased  by  the  Mary  Cheves  Dulles  Fund. 


Division 


0X351 


Section-'- 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arcliive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/camptrampinafricOOtord_0 


* 


AMP  AND  TRAMP 
AFRICAN  WILDS 


Marisaka,  a  Southern  Bambai.a  Woman 

All  Southern  Bamlala  are  painted  conipleiely  red  ;  their  clothes,  hair,  ornamenial  strings  and 
beads,  all  are  dyed  with  red-coloured  ferrui;ir.ous  clay.  T  hey  are  so  fond  of  thi-  colour  that  they 
paint  with  it  any  present  they  offer  to  a  stranger.  The  coiffure  is  elaborate,  and  has  to  last  for  a 
long  time  .    The  band  across  the  forehead  is  composed  of  a  string  made  of  plant  fibre. 


CAMP  AND  TRAMP 
IN  AFRICAN  WILDS 


A  Record  of  Adventure,  Impressions,  and  Experiences 
during  many  years  spent  among  the  Savage  Tribes 
round  Lake  Tanganyika  and  in  Central  Africa, 
with  a  description  of  Native  Life, 
Character,  and  Customs 


BY 


E.  TORDAY 


Member  of  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Anthropological  Institute,  Member 
of  the  Council  of  the  Folk-Lore  Society,  ^'c. 


With  45  Illustrations  $5*  a  Map 


PHILADELPHIA 
J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 
LONDON  :  SEELEY,  SERVICE  &^  CO.  LTD. 
1913 


EZEN  KONYVET 

EDES  ANYJANAK 
AJANLJA 


A  SZERZO. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 

PAGE 

A  typical  resident — Disillusioned — A  gruesome  warning — Hippo 
steak — Adventures  with  a  python — Bound  for  Stanleyville — 
A  plucky  Bangala — The  Ngombe — Arabian  influence — Ladies 
in  pawn — Skilful  navigation — The  crocodiles'  opportunity — 
The  Kimputu  bug — Native  heroism — Arab  cruelties — Lake 
Tanganyika  17 


CHAPTER  II 

Pala — Among  friends — The  White  Fathers — Recuperation — A 
nocturnal  visitor — Lions  and  leopards — A  fine  monument — 
Narrow  escapes — Domestic  pets — The  man-eating  habit — 
Big  game — African  fauna — An  unpleasant  situation — The 
call  of  the  wild — A  black  knight  37 


CHAPTER  III 

Travel  in  the  Congo — Uncomfortable  quarters — Insect  pests — The 
key  of  the  Upper  Congo — Old  friends — A  pernicious  habit — 
A  novel  method  of  barter — A  deposed  monarch— An  amusing 
incident — Cooks  and  their  ways — Cannibalism — A  case  for 
arbitration — Native  legal  methods — A  bond  against  bloodshed 
— A  distinguished  guest    .  57 

ix 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  IV 

PAGE 

The  Bambala  people — Bodily  ornamentation — Indigenous  food- 
stuffs— Cannibal  practices — Palm-wine — Snuff-taking — Women 
and  agriculture — Native  industries  77 


CHAPTER  V 

Trade  and  currency — Slave  dealing — Laws  of  inheritance — Marriage 
and  divorce — Commercial  customs — Mourning  observances — 
Ghost  stories — Superstition — Tribal  war  91 


CHAPTER  VT 

A  notorious  rascal — An  invaluable  asset — Accumulating  evidence — 
A  barbarous  custom — An  exacting  guest — Veiled  hostility — 
Foul  play — A  young  hopeful  102 


CHAPTER  VII 

A  trader's  difficulties — Problems  of  Government — In  the  desert — 
Types  of  the  Interior — Scarcity  of  food — A  breach  of  trust — 
Native  courtesy — Naive  sophistry  113 


CHAPTER  VIII 

An  affianced  lover — The  Bayaka  tribe — Manners  and  customs — 

Communal  customs — Burial  rites — Folk-lore    ....  128 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  IX 

PAOB 

Survival  of  the  fittest — A  blind  boy — A  costly  habit — Collecting  a 
vocabulary— An  amateur  sportsman — Taken  unawares — A  fine 
haul — Bayaka  fetishes — Return  to  Mosonge — Exploring  the 
interior  142 


CHAPTER  X 

A  false  alarm — Braggadocia  and  the  result — Settling  in  Luano — A 
mission  of  peace — Strategy— A  successful  ruse — A  grand 
palaver — Boma  to  the  rescue  156 


CHAPTER  XI 

The  Bahuana  tribe — Tribal  rites  and  customs — Methods  of  Warfare 
— Original  theories — Head-dress — Characteristics — Establish- 
ing villages — A  revolting  ceremony  ....       .       .  169 


CHAPTER  XII 

A  faithful  friend — Diplomacy — From  cook  to  chief — Hints  to 
Europeans — Native  humour — A  hippo  story — Metempsychosis 
— Negroid  logic — Settling  down — An  expensive  amusement — 
Domestic  possessions — Game  in  Luano  180 


CHAPTER  XIII 

In  the  forest— Geographical  licence— The  Red.',Congo — Spread  of 
cannibalism — The  Southern  Bambala — A  European  resident — 
Caught  in  a  game  pit — The  rubber  shrub — A  people  of  the 
chase — An  international  settlement — A  hen-pecked  Chief — 
Adrift — Crossing  the  Luchima  198 

xi 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XIV 

PAGE 

Tribes  of  the  interior — An  African  Napoleon — Conservative  Chiefs 
— A  lean  country — A  miniature  state — Bearding  the  lion — A 
formidable  stronghold — An  unenviable  situation — A  state  re- 
ception— Exposing  a  wizard — A  successful  embassy        .       .  218 


CHAPTER  XV 

Native  etiquette — Treatment  of  women — Fruits  of  experience — 
Native  gestures — Character  of  the  Negro — Mental  traits — 
Just  criticism — A  good-tempered  race — African  women — The 
labour  question — The  golden  rule — European  solidarity  .       .  234 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Original  labour — The  Bapindi  tribe — Stocking  the  larder — Bye-laws 
— Preliminary  hostilities — A  bid  for  peace — A  perilous  situa- 
tion— A  satisfactory  solution — A  native  philosopher — A  youth- 
ful squire — An  enthusiastic  welcome — The  old  story — Flatter- 
ing attentions — A  sorrowful  parting — "  Good-bye,  Bambala."'  250 


CHAPTER  XVII 


The  Chief's  Revenge   269 

How  the  People  first  got  Married   271 

The  Origin  of  Light   276 

Why  the  Gorilla  does  not  Speak   279 

Why  the  Dead  are  Buried   285 

How  Disease  and  Death  came  to  Man     .       .       .       .       .       .  288 


xii 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

PAGE 

How  the  Making  of  Fire  was  Invented   292 

What  the  Dog  has  Discovered   298 

Fleecing  the  Rich     .   301 

The  Story  of  the  First  Suicide   303 

A  Story  relating  how  People  learned  to  Drink  from  Brooks  and 

Rivers   306 

The  Squirrel's  Clearing   308 

Index   313 


xiii 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Mariska,  a  Southern  Bambala  Woman  . 

Frontispiece 

FACIKO 

PAGE 

A  Chief  of  the  Bapoto  Tribe  .... 

.  20 

Wagenya  Paddlers  

.  24 

A  Python   

28 

The  Lip-plug  

.  32 

A  Typical  Woman  from  the  Tribe  of  Zappo  Zap 

.  40 

A  Cunning  Kascal  

.  48 

A  Baobab  Tree  

.  64 

Ornamental  Head-gear  

80 

The  Northern  Bambala  

.  86 

A  European  Settlement  

.  86 

Types  of  Natives  

.  104 

Mourning  

.  130 

Keen  Traders   

.  130 

A  Fish  from  the  Congo  

.  144 

Bambala  Doorways  

.  144 

Bayanzi  Women  

.  158 

Framework  of  a  House  

.  160 

Weird  Village  Charms  

.  160 

Picturesque  Houses  

.  172 

A  Drum  

.  176 

A  Wooden  Gong  

.  176 

Bambala  Woman  and  Child  .... 

.  184 

XV 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACTRO 
PAGE 

A  Dug-out   184 

An  Abundant  Crop  of  Hair   190 

A  Restful  Posture   190 

Southern  Bambala  Youths   200 

A  Bapindji  Hut   204 

A  Suspended  Granary   212 

A  Southern  Bambala  Girl   220 

Tribal  Marks   224 

A  Fish  Trap   224 

A  Xylophone   228 

Enterprising  Traders   230 

The  Longbow   230 

A  Mobunda   238 

Fish  Traps   244 

Southern  Bambala  Man  and  Woman        ....  252 

Weaver  Birds   272 

A  Parasite   294 

Cicatrices  as  Tribal  Marks   302 

Cicatrices  as  Ornaments   302 


XVI 


GAMP   AND  TRAMP 

IN  AFRICAN  WILDS 


CHAPTER  I 

A  typical  resident  —  Disillusioned  —  A  gruesome  warning  —  Hippo  steak — 
Adventure  with  a  python — Bound  for  Stanleyville — A  plucky  Bangala 
— The  Ngombe — Arabian  influence — Ladies  in  pawn — Skilful  navigation 
— The  crocodiles'  opportunity — The  Kimputu  bug — Native  heroism — 
Arab  cruelties — Lake  Tanganyika. 

IT  is  my  intention  to  give  here  an  account  of  my 
adventures  and  experiences  from  1900  to  1907  in 
the  Congo.  My  sojourn  in  the  country  was  un- 
interrupted with  the  exception  of  one  short  interval 
of  a  few  months.  Some  portions  of  the  book  were 
written  as  far  back  as  1907,  but  owing  to  the 
embittered  controversy  that  was  then  waging  con- 
cerning the  Congo,  I  thought  it  wiser  not  to 
pubUsh  it.  But  now  things  have  calmed  down, 
and  I  hope  it  will  be  possible  to  write  about  that 
country  without  raising  a  storm  of  indignation  in 
either  camp.  I  shall  abstain  from  giving  my 
opinion  concerning  such  controversial  matters  as 
the  land  question  or  free  trade,  and  shall  restrict 
my  narrative  to  facts  that  have  come  under  my 
personal  observation,  leaving  it  to  the  reader  to 
draw   his   conclusions.     I  do  not  expect  him  to 

17  B 


A  TYPICAL  RESIDENT 

take  an  interest  in  me  personally ;  I  want  him  to 
see  in  me  a  typical  resident  in  the  Congo,  like 
many  another,  going  through  fits  of  depression 
relieved  by  periods  of  exuberant  joyfulness ;  de- 
spising the  "savage"  at  first  and  then  learning  to 
know,  esteem,  and  love  him. 

Chapters  I  and  II  will  deal  briefly  with  the 
incidents  of  my  first  journey.  I  kept  no  diary,  so 
the  reader  must  understand  that  only  the  most 
striking  incidents  are  recorded ;  although  the  period 
dealt  with  extended  over  four  years,  during  a  time 
when  certain  parts  of  the  country  visited  were 
decidedly  unsettled,  the  narrative  is  condensed  into 
two  chapters,  whereas  the  shorter  journey  of  two 
and  a  half  years  will  occupy  the  rest  of  the  book. 

These  four  years  of  apprenticeship  have,  I  hope, 
enabled  me  to  gain  a  better  knowledge  of  the 
country  and  its  inhabitants,  and  have  caused  me 
later  on  to  show  some  discernment  when  called 
to  action.  Everybody  likes  to  laugh  at  the 
"greenhorn,"  and  it  is  a  very  salutary  exercise  to 
recall  one's  own  adventures  on  first  entering  the 
African  bush ;  it  makes  one  feel  so  much  more 
leniently  towards  others.  The  ideal  traveller  has 
no  adventures ;  he  tries  to  and  knows  how  to  avoid 
them,  for  if  the  white  man  gets  into  a  scrape,  it  is 
generally  his  own  fault  and  not  that  of  the  native. 
Of  course  it  may  occur  that  the  wrong  person  is 
called  on  to  pay  for  the  follies  of  another,  but  even 
then  the  man  of  experience  and  judgment  can  get 
out  of  the  difficulty  without  trouble  worth  recording. 

18 


DISILLUSIONED 

I  need  hardly  say  that  when  I  landed  at  Boma, 
the  capital  of  the  then  Independent  Congo  Free 
State,  in  March  1900,  I  was  greatly  disappointed, 
for  how  rarely  does  reality  respond  to  the  pictures  of 
our  imagination,  I  expected  a  "  Treasure  Island," 
but  instead  of  this  I  found,  on  a  pestiferous  swamp, 
a  town  where  the  white  man's  battle  against  the 
deadly  microbes  had  not  yet  begun ;  the  blessings  of 
civilisation  were  absent,  yet  all  the  glory  of  the 
wilderness  had  disappeared.  There  was  no  decent 
hotel  available,  yet  camping  out  was  out  of  the 
question.  After  some  searching  inquiries,  a  Por- 
tuguee  told  me  that  he  could  spare  me  a  bed  in 
his  wooden  shanty  if  I  did  not  mind  sharing  the 
room  with  another  man ;  having  no  choice  I  ac- 
cepted his  offer.  The  rest  of  the  day  was  spent 
in  running  after  my  luggage,  paying  visits,  and 
filling  in  all  sorts  of  official  documents.  It  was 
dark  when  I  reached  "  home,"  and  when  trying  to 
get  to  the  entrance,  I  sank  knee  deep  into  the 
swamp  on  the  edge  of  which  the  "Hotel  Leopold" 
stood.  I  was  shown  into  my  room.  On  a  bed 
there  I  saw  a  man,  tall  and  thin,  with  hollow 
eyes,  sunken  cheeks,  and  parched  lips.  He  moaned 
and  moaned  when,  suddenly  becoming  aware  of  my 
presence,  he  addressed  me  in  Swedish.  I  told  him 
I  could  not  understand,  and  he  then  tried  German. 
He  asked  me,  "Are  you  new  to  this  country?" 
"I  am."  He  sat  up  in  his  bed  and  stared  at  me 
with  a  look  of  horror.  Then  he  spoke.  "  Look 
at  me.     A  year  ago  I  was  a  man.     I  stood  six 

19 


A  GRUESOME  WARNING 

feet  two  in  my  stockings.  Now  I  am  nearly  a 
corpse,  and  cannot  stand  at  all.  When  I  came  to 
this  country  a  year  ago  I  was  twenty-six  years  of 
age,  now  I  am  an  old  and  broken-down  man,  with 
no  hope  in  this  world.  I  was  as  strong  as  a  bull. 
Look  at  me.  I  cannot  lift  my  hand  to  my  mouth. 
All  that  remains  for  me  to  do  is  to  try  and  die 
like  a  man.  Don't  stay  in  this  country  !  Get 
away  now  while  it  is  still  possible.  Get  away  if 
you  don't  want  to  be  like  myself  in  a  year  or  so.  If 
you  have  a  mother  whom  you  love  tear  yourself 
from  this  accursed  country.  Go  away.  Don't  you 
hear?  Go  back  to  Europe."  Then  with  a  yell  he 
jumped  from  his  bed,  and,  dragging  himself  to  my 
feet,  lifting  his  folded  hands  he  moaned  :  "  Go 
back,  sonny,  go  back,"  He  then  fainted,  I  called 
for  help ;  he  was  put  on  his  bed,  and  the  landlord 
told  me  that  he  was  dying  from  an  abscess  on  the 
liver.  The  next  morning  he  was  gone  to  a  better 
land.    This  was  my  first  impression  of  the  Congo. 

The  next  day  I  went  up  to  Matadi  and  thence 
by  rail  to  Kinshasa. 

I  stayed  here  about  six  months  and  underwent 
my  first  attacks  of  malaria.  At  Kinshasa  European 
food  could  only  be  obtained  at  exorbitant  prices, 
and  no  native  food  was  available.  All  sorts  of 
devices  were  tried  in  order  to  get  fresh  food ;  each 
European  went  out  on  alternative  nights  in  a  dug- 
out on  Stanley  Pool  to  shoot  hippopotami.  The 
flesh  of  these  animals  has  a  repulsive  fishy  taste, 
but  it  was  considered  a  great  delicacy  by  men  who 

20 


A  Chief  of  a  Bapoto  Tribe 


I  have  been  told  that  the  scarring  of  the  face  is  child's  play  compared  to  the  painful  operation  of 
making  the  scars  on  the  lips ;  neither  boy  nor  girl,  however,  would  like  to  be  without  them. 


HIPPO  STEAK 

were  accustomed  to  tinned  food.  The  supply  soon 
gave  out,  for  the  hippo,  not  choosing  to  be  shot  at, 
retired  some  few  miles  distant,  and  after  that  there 
were  no  more  "  hippo  a  la  mode "  or  hippo  steaks 
for  us.  A  lean  fowl  cost  between  three  and  five 
francs,  and  all  one  got  for  this  money  was  in- 
sufficient for  a  healthy  breakfast.  At  one  time 
some  of  us  formed  an  "  egg  combine,"  and  sent 
Bateke  traders  up  the  river  to  buy  eggs  for  us ; 
then  again  we  got  some  goats  sent  down  from  the 
Kasai  or  some  cattle  sent  up  from  the  coast ;  but 
we  were  generally  in  a  continuous  state  of  semi- 
starvation.  There  was  much  drinking  going  on  at 
that  time,  and  although  a  bottle  of  beer  cost  three 
francs,  enormous  quantities  were  consumed.  Some 
of  us  founded  a  (manuscript)  newspaper  called  Le 
Petit  Leopoldmllain ;  the  subscription  was  a  case 
(forty-eight  bottles)  of  beer  per  annum ;  this  was 
drunk  by  the  editorial  staff.  I  really  think  we 
were  a  miserable  lot,  and  even  our  gaiety  had  a 
bitter  taste. 

Taking  into  account  the  scarcity  of  food  it  can 
easily  be  imagined  what  a  shock  I  received  one 
morning  on  being  informed  by  my  Sierra  Leone 
clerk  that  a  python  had  entered  my  fowl-house  and 
was  feasting  on  the  two  or  three  ducks  I  possessed. 
I  jumped  out  of  my  bed  and  rushed  to  that 
building ;  as  it  had  no  windows  I  was  in  absolute 
darkness.  The  clerk  brought  me  a  candle  and  we 
entered  together.  At  first  nothing  was  visible;  after 
a  hearty  meal  the  snake  had  retired  to  a  corner 

21 


ADVENTURE  WITH  A  PYTHON 

and  was  fast  asleep.  Roused  by  the  noise  we  made, 
it  lifted  its  head  and  hissed ;  this  was  too  much 
for  the  clerk ;  he  dropped  the  candle,  rushed  out 
of  the  fowl-house,  banged  and  locked  the  door  on 
me  and  screamed  out :  "  Don't  let  him  come  after 
me ! "  then  ran  away.  Well,  it  is  not  pleasant  to 
be  locked  up  in  a  dark  place  with  a  snake  fifteen 
feet  long.  I  saw  the  snake  lashing  its  head  right 
and  left,  and  coming  nearer  and  nearer  to  me ;  I 
seemed  to  feel  its  breath  near  my  face,  and  ex- 
pected every  moment  to  be  touched  by  its  villainous 
fangs.  Then  I  heard  footsteps,  the  door  was  burst 
open  —  and  there  lay  the  snake  sound  asleep ;  I 
now  know  that  it  had  never  really  moved,  and 
that  it  was  my  imagination  that  had  played  me 
false.  The  natives  who  had  come  lit  a  torch  and 
the  snake  was  soon  despatched.  Then  I  went  in 
search  of  the  clerk,  and  we  had  a  little  conver- 
sation which  had  an  epilogue  in  the  Police  Court, 
where  I  was  fined  £2  and  32  shillings  costs ;  well, 
I  am  sure  it  was  worth  the  money. 

I  think  if  I  had  stayed  long  in  Kinshasa  I  should 
have  no  tale  to  tell ;  I  got  anaemic  and  weak  to 
such  an  extent  that  I  was  unable  to  keep  awake  for 
any  length  of  time ;  I  fell  asleep  at  all  times  of  the 
day,  and  even  my  eyesight  began  to  fail.  Not  that 
Kinshasa  is  an  exceptionally  unhealthy  place ;  but 
the  want  of  decent  food  before  being  acclimatised 
was  too  much  for  me.  My  chance  came  in  September 
1900.  I  was  offered  a  post  at  the  other  end  of  the 
Belgian  Congo,  near  Lake  Moeru,  and  I  accepted 

22 


BOUND  FOR  STANLEYVILLE 

it  with  joy.  I  did  not  mind  where  I  went  so  long 
as  I  got  away  from  Kinshasa. 

On  the  13  th  of  that  month  I  started  on  the 
steamer  Hainaut  bound  for  Stanleyville.  Now  any- 
body looking  at  the  map  may  ask  what  I  was  going 
to  do  there  if  I  wanted  to  get  to  Lake  Moeru ;  it 
looks  like  going  from  London  to  Dover  via  York. 
At  that  time  the  Kasai  district,  at  any  rate  the 
south-eastern  part  of  it,  was  in  a  state  of  great 
turmoil ;  the  revolted  Batetela  soldiers  and  some 
native  chiefs  made  the  place  so  hot  that  it  was 
quite  impossible  for  any  European  to  pass.  To  get 
to  the  lakes  the  only  safe  way  was  up  the  Congo 
and  through  the  Manyema,  and  this  was  the  route 
I  had  to  follow.  For  twenty  days  I  travelled  on 
the  steamer,  and  for  twenty  days  the  banks  showed 
a  continuous  stretch  of  forest  land.  I  wish  I  had 
the  gift  of  describing  the  grandeur  of  the  country, 
the  majestic  river  and  the  many  strange  people  I 
saw.  After  leaving  Stanley  Pool  I  noticed  how  the 
last  traces  of  European  civilisation  were  left  behind ; 
the  natives  became  more  and  more  scantily  dressed 
until  finally,  at  any  rate  for  the  fair  sex,  all  garments 
completely  disappeared.  What  impressed  me  most 
were  the  curious  cicatrisations  that  distinguished  the 
members  of  one  tribe  from  those  of  another.  In  the 
equator  district  the  Bangala  have  the  skin  on  their 
foreheads  raised  with  cicatrices  over  an  inch  high, 
which  look  like  cockscombs.  Most  of  the  ship's 
crew  consisted  of  these  Bangala,  and  I  have  not  the 
slightest  doubt  that  we  all  owed  our  lives  to  a 

23 


A  PLUCKY  BANGALA 

member  of  this  tribe.  We  were  approaching  Bumba, 
where  the  river  is  about  twenty-five  miles  wide ; 
the  water  is  very  shallow  and  there  are  a  great 
number  of  islands.  The  natives  here  are  extremely 
hostile  to  the  white  man,  and  this  seems  to  have 
been  the  case  for  many  years  afterwards,  for  even 
in  1907,  I  think,  a  steamer,  the  Bruxellesville,  came 
to  grief  here,  and  her  whole  crew  and  all  her  pas- 
sengers were  massacred  and  eaten  by  them.  We 
were  then  miles  away  from  any  place  where  we 
could  with  safety  have  eflPected  a  landing,  when  sud- 
denly there  was  a  great  stir  and  we  were  informed 
that  the  powder-magazine,  containing  tons  of  gun- 
powder and  some  dynamite,  was  on  fire.  Our  gallant 
Danish  skipper  at  once  tried  to  enter  it,  but  was 
driven  back  by  the  smoke.  Then  a  Bangala,  a 
stoker,  came  forward,  and,  taking  a  bucket  of  water, 
descended  into  the  hold.  We  gave  him  up  as  lost, 
but  he  soon  appeared  with  the  empty  bucket  and, 
gasping  for  breath,  asked  for  more  water.  A  chain 
was  formed  and  the  brave  fellow  went  up  and  down 
with  his  bucket ;  the  steam  was  escaping  from  the 
hold,  which  showed  that  he  had  not  been  any  too 
soon.  When  the  fire  was  completely  extinguished 
the  poor  chap  was  almost  exhausted ;  however,  he 
soon  recovered,  and  then  he  was  generously  awarded 
sixteen  yards  of  cotton  cloth  !  It  was  not  that  we 
did  not  want  to  do  better  for  him,  but,  everyone 
of  us  being  only  allowed  a  very  small  amount  of 
luggage,  we  had  nothing  more  to  spare.  We  were 
going  up  river  with  the  intention  of  staying  in  the 

24 


Wagenya  Paddlers 

They  belong  to  a  typical  tribe  of  fishermen,  a  tribe  where  all  work  which  is  not  connected  directly 
or  indirectly  with  fishing  is  performed  by  women.  No  man  would  carry  a  load  ;  if  he  is  asked  to  trans- 
port some  of  your  luggage,  he  will  undertake  to  do  so,  and  then  send  his  wife  or  wives  to  perform  the 
task.    On  the  other  hand,  they  are  ideal  paddlers,  and  fatigue  and  fear  seem  to  be  unknown  to  them. 


THE  NGOMBE 

backwoods  for  years,  and  we  really  had  nothing  with 
us  but  what  was  absolutely  necessary. 

At  that  time  very  little  anthropological  research 
had  been  carried  out  in  this  country,  and  the  natives 
from  inland  were  usually  referred  to  by  the  people 
from  the  riverside,  and  consequently  by  the  Euro- 
peans, as  "  Ngombe,"  which  really  means  bush-men. 
Their  appearance  was  certainly  such  as  to  inspire 
little  confidence,  their  faces  being  considerably  dis- 
figured by  cicatrices,  without  which  no  Ngombe 
would  think  himself  presentable.  All  the  tribes  in 
this  neighbourhood  are  cannibals,  and  their  enemies 
knew  that  if  they  fell  into  their  hands  they  would 
be  treated  with  the  utmost  cruelty.  In  later  years 
I  met  with  some  very  decent  fellows  of  these  tribes, 
men  for  whom  I  had  a  great  liking  and  considerable 
esteem,  but  then  being  a  new-comer  and  not  under- 
standing them,  I  looked  upon  them  as  half  savages. 

If  I  describe  the  Ngombe  as  ill-looking,  what 
shall  I  say  about  the  natives  I  met  further  up-river 
near  Basoko  ?  Here  the  lip-plug  is  in  general  use ; 
at  an  early  age  a  small  hole  is  pierced  in  the  upper 
lip,  and  this,  by  the  insertion  of  ever-increasing 
wooden  disks,  is  so  extended  that  it  finally  measures 
over  2  inches  in  diameter.  If  one  considers  further- 
more that  these  people  were  cannibals  and  did 
not  try  to  conceal  it,  it  is  easy  to  understand 
that  a  new-comer  could  regard  them  with  little 
sympathy.  If,  however,  one  lives  some  time  among 
them,  one  gets  accustomed  to  their  want  of  dress 
and  weird  ornamentation,  and  one  comes  at  last  to 

25 


ARABIAN  INFLUENCE 

think  them  rather  becoming.  How  often  have  I 
not  heard  Europeans  quarrel  over  the  respective 
merits  of  the  tribe  they  were  best  acquainted  with, 
and  I  have  found  that,  when  I  have  referred  to 
the  pelele  (the  hp  plug)  with  disgust,  older  residents 
in  the  country  have  been  quite  hurt  in  their  feelings. 

Stanleyville  was  a  curious  mixture  of  an  Arab- 
European  Negro  town.  Whatever  harm  the  Arabs 
may  have  done  to  the  natives,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  in  their  slave  -  raiding  expeditions  they  have 
slaughtered  them  by  thousands,  they  certainly  have 
taught  them  many  a  good  thing.  It  was  the  Arabs 
who  introduced  rice,  Madagascar  potatoes,  beans, 
and  many  useful  plants ;  they  have  taught  the 
natives  cleanliness,  and  have  established  a  school 
in  nearly  every  centre.  Thus  the  Arab  part  of 
Stanleyville  could  not  fail  to  impress  me  most 
favourably,  and  I  must  say  that  many  of  the  '*  Arab- 
ised"  natives  I  met  with  were  decidedly  pleasant 
people. 

When  I  left  Leopoldville  I  had  been  told  that 
all  I  might  require  during  my  overland  journey 
would  be  supplied  to  me  at  Stanleyville ;  now  I 
found  that  the  residents  themselves  were  short  of 
supplies,  and  I  could  only  obtain  a  very  small  portion 
of  the  stores  usually  provided  for  so  long  a  journey. 
To  begin  with  there  were  neither  camp-beds  nor 
tents  to  be  had,  and  as  for  food  I  got  four  pounds 
of  flour,  some  sugar  and  tea,  a  few  tins  of  preserves, 
and  a  generous  supply  of  pickles ;  these  were  ex- 
pected to  last  four  months.    I  need  not  say  that 

26 


LADIES  IN  PAWN 

the  residents  of  Stanleyville  were  not  fond  of  this 
latter  delicacy.  I  crossed  the  river  under  the  famous 
Falls  in  a  canoe,  and  then  my  luggage  was  carted 
by  men  to  a  place  above  the  Falls  where  another 
boat  was  waiting  for  me.  The  boat  was  only  a 
dug-out,  but  was  immense  in  size  and  very  comfort- 
able indeed.  I  had  forty  paddlers  provided,  but 
the  first  day  no  paddles  were  used,  the  boat  being 
propelled  by  means  of  poles  like  a  punt ;  and  a  real 
pleasure  it  was  to  travel  like  this,  for  we  made 
astonishingly  rapid  progress.  I  lodged  in  a  native 
hut,  my  boxes  serving  instead  of  a  bed.  The  third 
day  the  men  took  to  paddling,  and  excellent  paddlers 
they  were  too.  At  every  village  the  crew  was 
changed,  thus  the  people  were  never  taken  far  from 
their  homes.  In  one  place  only  the  men  refused  to 
do  the  work ;  had  I  known  more  about  them  I  am 
sure  I  could  have  persuaded  them  to  do  it,  but  as 
it  was,  the  men  of  the  previous  village  having  re- 
turned, I  was  in  a  pretty  plight.  The  women  alone 
were  in  the  village,  and  the  men,  standing  at  some 
distance,  were  mocking  me.  I  instructed  my  boy 
to  put  a  number  of  paddles  which  were  lying  about 
into  the  boat,  and  then  I  invited  the  ladies  to  get 
into  it  by  proposing  to  buy  some  food  from  them. 
Now,  under  all  circumstances,  negroes  are  keen  to 
do  business,  and  soon  I  had  about  thirty  women  in 
the  boat  trying  to  sell  me  odds  and  ends.  With- 
out attracting  their  attention  my  boy  undid  the 
rope  by  which  the  boat  was  fastened  to  a  tree,  and 
before   they  were   aware  of  what  was  happening 

27 


LADIES  IN  PAWN 

the  women  found  themselves  floating  down  mid- 
stream. The  effect  of  this  manoeuvre  was  immediate  ; 
the  men  set  out  in  their  little  canoes  and  claimed 
their  women  back.  I  declared  that  for  every  man 
who  came  into  the  boat  I  would  release  a  woman, 
and  half  an  hour  later  I  was  triumphantly  continuing 
my  journey,  all  the  ladies  having  been  taken  out  of 
pawn.  I  am  far  from  thinking  that  what  I  did 
was  right,  but  then  my  case  was  a  desperate  one, 
and  I  had  to  employ  desperate  remedies. 

He  who  has  not  travelled  with  Wagenya 
paddlers  does  not  know  what  paddlers  can  do. 
These  fine  men  will  go  on  for  many  hours,  singing 
cheerfully  and  showing  no  sign  of  fatigue.  Near 
Sendwe  they  got  me  up  the  rapids,  fighting  the 
current  inch  by  inch.  To  see  those  stalwart  men, 
every  muscle  of  their  bodies  at  its  highest  tension, 
the  paddles  bending  under  their  efforts  forcing  the 
boat  upwards,  was  a  sight  for  every  lover  of  sport 
and  athletic  beauty.  When  we  reached  the  village 
above  the  rapids  I  asked  them  if  they  would  mind 
taking  me  down  the  rapids  in  one  of  their  small 
boats.  At  first  they  did  not  like  the  idea,  pointing 
out  to  me  how  they  would  get  into  trouble  if  I  got 
drowned ;  but  when  I  gave  them  a  paper  acquitting 
them  of  all  responsibility  (these  people  have  still 
the  greatest  respect  for  that  mysterious  thing,  a 
scrawling)  they  were  satisfied,  so  we  set  out.  We 
started  slowly,  I  and  four  men.  Three  of  them 
sat  behind  me,  and  one  stood  in  front  at  the  bow 
of  the  boat.    They  paddled  on  slowly  and  leisurely 

28 


SKILFUL  NAVIGATION 

until  we  got  into  the  current,  then  their  strokes 
grew  more  and  more  rapid.     The  speed  seemed 
tremendous  to  me  and   was   increased  more  and 
more.     When   about  four  or  five  hundred  yards 
from  the  Falls  the  men  jumped  up  and  sang  a  wild 
song,  the  three  behind  paddled  furiously,  while  the 
man  at  the  bow  stood  like  a  bronze  statue,  motion- 
less, his  paddle  in  the  water  and  looking  in  front. 
I  could  now  no  longer  see  the  water  distinctly ;  it 
looked  like  a  uniform  grey  sheet,  while  the  very 
banks  of  the  river  seemed  to  fly  by.    In  front  of 
us  there  appeared  a  rock  which  seemed  to  bar  our 
way,  and,  slashing  the  water  with  their  paddles, 
the  men  yelled  furiously  with  excitement.    The  rock 
was  at  a  hundred  yards,  eighty,  sixty,  ten  .  .  .  the 
man  in  front  made  a  sudden  move,  round  whirled 
the  boat,  and  I  felt,  although  I  could  see  nothing, 
that  we  had  passed  very  close  to  something,  and 
then  we  were  in  smooth  water  again.     I  think 
those  seconds  were  the  most  glorious  of  my  life, 
and  it  came   as  a  revelation   to   me   that  these 
negroes,  for  whom  I  had  had  the  contempt  that 
many  a  civilised  man  feels  towards  savages,  were 
giants  as  compared  to  me,  and  from  that  moment 
my  heart  went  out  to  them.     I  do  not  mean  to 
say  that  I  was  aware  of  this  sentiment  at  once ; 
all  I  really  felt  was  the  admiration  that  no  man 
can  withhold  from  the  strong  and  the  brave ;  and 
as  with  women  pity  is   often  the  first  step  on 
the  path  to  love,  with  men  admiration  leads  to 
sympathy  and  friendship. 

29 


THE  CROCODILES'  OPPORTUNITY 

After  about  two  weeks  we  left  the  forest 
country  and  came  into  grassy  land.  Tired  of 
forced  inactivity,  I  used  to  leave  the  boat  and, 
barefooted,  wade  along  the  banks,  hoping  to  get  a 
shot  at  some  water-fowl.  I  never  thought  of  the 
crocodiles  ;  I  am  afraid  these  latter  neglected  a 
brilliant  opportunity  there.  Apart  from  this  danger, 
what  I  did  was  extremely  foolish,  and  it  certainly 
did  not  improve  my  general  state  of  health,  which 
was  not  very  brilliant,  even  without  such  follies. 

Some  weeks  later  I  reached  Kasongo,  having 
passed  Nyangwe  of  Livingstonian  fame.  I  visited 
the  old  Arab  town  and  was  received  with  great 
hospitality  by  Abibu  Ben  Selim,  one  of  the  few 
Arabs  who,  submitting  to  new  conditions,  had 
remained  in  the  once  flourishing  Settlement.  At 
Kasongo  the  Government  was  erecting  a  fort  at 
very  considerable  expense ;  what  this  fort  was  in- 
tended for  I  never  could  understand.  I  do  not 
think  there  was  any  danger  of  a  rising  or  of  a 
return  of  the  Arabs,  and  as  for  other  possible  foes 
I  fail  to  see  from  whence  they  were  to  come.  Was 
it  against  a  European  power  ?  In  that  case  it 
was  surely  useless,  as  all  supplies  could  have  been 
stopped  by  blockading  the  mouth  of  the  Congo. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  meet  here  Monsieur 
Malfeyt,  the  Governor  of  the  Province ;  he  kindly 
gave  me  a  bed  and  some  supplies  of  European  food, 
of  which  I  was  sorely  in  need.  He  had  just 
returned  from  a  successful  expedition  against  the 
revolted  soldiers  and,  I  am  sure,  had  very  little  to 

30 


THE  KIMPUTU  BUG 

spare,  but  whatever  was  possible  he  certainly  did 
for  me,  and  I  fear  that  he  ran  the  risk  of  running 
short  himself  in  order  to  help  me.  He  told  me 
that  some  of  the  natives  called  him  Kimputu, 
because  he  used  to  try  and  cheer  up  people  who 
supposed  themselves  to  be  suffering  from  a  disease 
known  to  the  natives  by  that  name.  They  pre- 
tended that  if  they  were  bitten  by  a  certain  bug 
of  this  name  they  fell  ill,  and  that  then  the  only 
thing  left  for  them  to  do  was  to  die.  Now  this 
was  attributed  largely  to  auto-suggestion,  and  by 
pointing  out  how  ridiculous  it  was  to  suppose  that 
this  one  little  parasite  could  kill  such  big  men,  it 
was  hoped  that  people  would  fight  it  instead  of 
"giving  in."  Monsieur  Malfeyt,  in  whom  the  natives 
had  more  confidence  than  in  any  other  European, 
and  of  whom  they  were  very  fond,  tried  to  use  his 
influence  for  this  purpose,  but  with  little  good 
result,  I  am  afraid.^ 

After  a  few  days  rest  I  started  on  my  over- 
land journey  towards  Tanganyika,  my  porters  en- 
couraging me  by  singing  :  "  Tanganyika  bali  ! " 
(Tanganyika  is  far  away).  To  be  sure  so  it  was. 
As  I  could  not  procure  a  tent  I  had  to  camp  in 
the  native  villages,  and  had  to  ask  for  the  loan  of 
a  hut.  The  second  night  when  in  my  bed  I  felt 
an  unpleasant  itching,  and,  getting  up,  I  found  five 
Kimputu  sticking  to  me.     Now  was  my  chance,  I 

^  Since  then  the  late  Dr.  Todd  of  the  Liverpool  School  of  Tropical 
Medicine  has  studied  the  disease  and  has  named  it  tick  fever.  In  mos^ 
cases  it  is  fatal. 

31 


THE  KIMPUTU  BUG 

thought,  so  I  called  all  the  men  and  showed  them 
the  insects  still  sticking  to  me,  saying :  "  Now, 
here  is  your  famous  Kimputu  ;  you  see  that  I  have 
been  bitten,  and  you  will  see  that  they  can't  do 
me  any  harm."  But  the  men  were  incredulous, 
shook  their  heads,  and  said :  "  Poor  Bwana  Deke, 
you  will  see  your  country  no  more.  Poor  Bwana 
Deke  ! "  From  that  day  they  considered  me  as 
sentenced  to  death.  Sometimes  at  night  (my  nights 
began  at  that  time  to  be  very  restless)  I  heard 
them  talking  about  me  as  if  I  were  actually  dead, 
and  when  one  day  I  asked  a  man  to  sell  me  his 
knife,  promising  to  pay  him  for  it  when  I  reached 
the  Lake,  he  said,  with  a  sympathetic  smile :  "I 
do  not  think  that  you  will  ever  see  Tanganyika, 
Bwana  Deke,  but  you  can  have  the  knife  for  all 
that." 

It  was  not  long  before  I  began  to  feel  out  of 
sorts,  and  soon  I  could  scarcely  drag  myself  along. 
We  reached  Kabambare,  and  here  I  dismissed  my 
porters.  This  place  was  the  centre  of  the  famous 
Manyema,  the  place  of  many  battles,  alternately 
the  stronghold  of  the  Belgians  and  the  Arabs,  and 
the  end  of  an  imaginary  telegraphic  line.  I  do  not 
know  what  the  line  may  be  like  now,  but  when  I 
passed  through  the  country  there  were  only  traces 
of  it  to  be  seen.  These  traces  consisted  of  trees 
felled  across  the  road,  and  of  copper  wire  orna- 
ments round  the  necks  of  the  natives.  For  days 
I  walked  through  forests  of  Borassus  palms,  and  it 
was  pleasant  to  see  how  these  natural  telegraph 

32 


The  Lu'-Plug 


The  pelele,  or  lip  plue,  is  one  of  the  weirdest  ornaments  one  can  imagine;  it  is  found  in  Africa  as 
well  as  in  America.  Among  the  people  near  the  mouth  of  the  Lomami  River  both  sexes  adorn  them- 
selves in  this  way  ;  the  fashion  is  beginning  to  disappear,  and  it  is  a  curious  sign  of  conservatism 
that,  although  the  people  have  abandoned  it,  they  still  continue  to  perforate  the  upper  lip,  a  very 
painful  operation  indeed. 


NATIVE  HEROISM 

poles  had  been  felled  and  replaced  by  sticks, 
which  rotted  away  in  a  few  months.  I  had  known 
the  telegraphic  line  between  Leopoldville  and  the 
Equator  at  the  time  when  it  was  always  kept 
in  order  by  a  skilled  staff,  even  mider  the  most 
trying  circumstances,  so  that  the  condition  in  which 
I  found  this  line  filled  me  with  astonishment.  I 
suppose  that  the  fact  of  its  being  so  far  away  from 
the  seat  of  government  had  made  control  difficult, 
and  some  one  had  taken  advantage  of  this. 

The  whole  time  I  travelled  in  the  Manyema  I  met 
with  traces  of  recent  wars.     When  arriving  at  a 
village,  the  chief  would  come  and  show  me  his 
"  mukanda "  or  certificate  ;  some  of  these  recorded 
extraordinary  acts  of  heroism  and  loyalty.    One  man 
had  his  feet  burnt  off  by  the  Arabs  in  order  to  extort 
information  of  the  whereabouts  of  the  white  man  and 
his  forces,  but  no  torture  could  induce  him  to  betray 
his  allies.    Another  had  been  hanged  by  his  beard 
on  the  branch  of  a  tree  and  had  had  his  lips  cut  off, 
but  still  he  remained  faithful  to  his  friends.  All 
these  certificates  were  signed  by  the  commanders  of 
the  Belgian  troops,  and  the  wounds  and  mutilations 
of  the  chiefs  proved  them  to  be  genuine.    Let  those 
who  doubt  the  negroes'  valour  go  from  Kasongo  to 
Tanganyika ;  they  will  find  ample  proofs  of  their 
devotion.    I  am  proud  to  have  shaken  hands  with 
these  obscure  heroes  whose  deeds  surpass  anything 
that  Mucins  Scaevola  may  have  done. 

These  were  not  the  only  traces  of  Arab  cruelty ; 
they  and  the  Tamba  Tamba  (Arabised  chiefs  so  called 

33  c 


ARAB  CRUELTIES 

because  they  adopted  the  Arab  costume  called  by  this 
name,  consisting  of  a  wide  white  shirt)  had  a  summary 
way  of  dealing  with  evildoers :  the  calumniator  had 
his  lips  cut  off,  the  thief  his  hand  removed,  the  dis- 
obedient slave  his  ears  torn  oflp,  and  the  runaway 
slave  his  feet  amputated.  I  met  with  many  of  these, 
and  one  man  I  saw  at  Kabambare  was  an  excellent 
example  of  how  ineffectively  punishment  serves  its 
purpose.  The  man  had  been  an  habitual  thief  and 
the  Arabs  had  cut  off  both  his  hands  and  feet,  and 
he  was  furthermore  mutilated  in  a  terrible  way.  The 
European  living  in  Kabambare  took  pity  on  the  poor 
wretch  who  could  only  crawl  about,  and  as  he  was  on 
the  verge  of  starvation  (the  natives  not  desiring  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  so  disreputable  a  character) 
he  invented  a  job  for  him  and  made  him  the  guardian 
of  his  fowl-house.  I  do  not  know  how  he  managed 
to  do  it,  but  at  any  rate  he  did  steal  the  few  chickens 
that  were  in  it ! 

By  this  time  I  got  worse  and  worse,  and  the  daily 
march  became  a  terrible  ordeal  to  me.  My  kind 
good  boy,  Makoba,  who  I  am  sure  had  a  very  bad 
time  with  his  ill-tempered  master,  used  to  walk  near 
me,  and  whenever  I  broke  down  cheered  me  on  and 
made  me  try  again.  There,  under  the  scalding  sun, 
with  fever  burning  me,  I  had  to  go  on,  tramp,  tramp, 
tramp ;  how  often  did  I  try  to  escape  his  well-meant 
attentions  and  lose  him  so  that  I  might  die  quietly 
in  the  bush !  The  cunning  I  displayed  to  obtain  my 
object  was  worthy  of  a  Red  Indian.  I  sent  him  away 
with  useless  messages  and  then  rushed  off  for  the 

34 


LAKE  TANGANYIKA 

bush ;  I  there  hid  carefully,  hoping  I  would  be  left 
at  last  to  die.  I  had  no  pain,  but  I  was  so  tired ! 
But  Makoba  stuck  to  me,  and  no  prayer  or  menace 
could  persuade  him  to  leave  me  alone.  How  I  hated 
him !  What  authority  had  he  to  oblige  me  to  go 
on  when  all  I  wanted  was  rest?  Had  I  no  right 
to  get  it  ?  On  and  on  he  drove  me.  Stages  which 
the  carriers  covered  in  four  or  five  hours  took  us 
twelve  and  fifteen,  but  he  always  managed  to  get  me 
to  the  village  at  the  end. 

One  day  when  we  reached  the  top  of  a  hill  the 
men  burst  out  into  a  joyful  cry  :  "  Tanganyika  !  "  At 
first  all  that  I  saw  was  a  straight  vertical  wall  of 
a  greyish  dim  colour  at  a  great  distance  off,  when 
suddenly  the  sun  broke  out  among  the  clouds  and 
the  wall  turned  into  a  huge  glittering  sheet  of  water. 
So  it  proved  not  to  be  true  that  I  should  never  see 
the  glorious  lake  ?  My  head  began  to  whirl  round  and 
round,  and  I  should  have  fallen  had  not  Makoba  sus- 
tained me.  "  Come,  master,  let  us  go  to  Tanganyika!" 
Two  days  later  we  reached  the  lake. 

The  fact  of  having  accomplished  a  thing  I  never 
hoped  to  do  caused  a  wholesome  reaction,  and  I  felt 
a  man  once  more.  As  luck  would  have  it,  an  English 
steamer,  the  Cecil  Rhodes,  called  at  the  place  a  day 
or  two  later,  and  the  kind  manager  of  the  Cape  to 
Cairo  telegraphic  line  ofiered  me  and  a  magistrate, 
bound  for  the  same  destination  as  myself,  a  free 
passage  to  Pala,  the  Mission  of  the  White  Fathers. 
Will  this  kind  man  forgive  me  if  I  tell  him  that, 
although  I  shall  never  forget  his  kindness,  I  have 

35 


LAKE  TANGANYIKA 

forgotten  his  name  ?  All  I  know  is  that  never  have 
I  experienced  greater  kindness  and  never  was  I  more 
in  need  of  it. 

My  recollection  of  Lake  Tanganyika  is  so  mixed 
up  with  the  dreams  of  a  fevered  brain  that  I  will  not 
attempt  to  give  a  description  of  it.  I  know  it  was 
dark,  dark  blue  and  lovely  to  behold,  and  that  its 
waves  rocked  me  into  quiet  sleep  such  as  I  had  not 
enjoyed  for  a  long  time.  The  dear  steamer,  the  Cecil 
Rhodes,  now  lies  at  the  bottom  of  this  beautiful,  but 
treacherous  mass  of  sapphire  blue,  and  as  I  write  the 
magic  word  "  Tanganyika,"  I  am  longing,  longing  to 
be  back  to  your  shores  again,  0  Mirror  of  the  Sun. 
What  the  Arab  says  of  the  well  of  the  desert  is  true 
for  you  :  whoever  has  drank  the  waters  of  Tanganyika 
shall  all  his  life  long  to  drink  them  again. 


36 


CHAPTER  II 


Pala — Among  friends — The  TNTiite  Fathers — Recuperation — A  nocturnal 
visitor — Lions  and  leopards — A  fine  monument — Narrow  escapes — 
Domestic  pets — The  fly  belt — The  man-eating  habit — Big  game — African 
fauna — An  unpleasant  situation — The  call  of  the  wild — A  black  knight. 

TWO  days  later,  I  was  dosing  on  deck  when  sud- 
denly a  voice  said,  "  There  is  Pala  !  "  I  looked  up 
and  thought  I  must  still  be  dreaming,  for  a  landscape 
such  as  one  is  accustomed  to  associate  with  the  Rhine 
lay  before  me.  Soft  hills,  covered  with  what  seemed 
to  me  to  be  vineyards,  and  on  the  top  of  a  steep  rock 
a  lovely  castle.  But  all  this  was  real,  and  what  I 
saw  was  the  oldest  Roman  Catholic  Mission  in  the 
Congo. 

I  little  know  what  happened  afterwards ;  I  re- 
member that  I  was  put  to  bed  by  kind  hands  and 
that  I  had  a  long,  long  dream.  I  dreamt  that  I  was 
surrounded  by  love  and  happiness,  and  love  and 
happiness  were  not  abstract  ideas,  but  real  things 
that  one  could  touch  and  which  caressed  me.  I  am 
sure  that  was  all  my  dream,  and  although  it  seemed 
to  last  long  it  was  always  the  same  and  always 
pleasant.  At  last  my  shadowy  visitors  became  fainter 
and  fainter,  and  finally  they  disappeared.  I  opened 
my  eyes  and  saw  people  moving  about.  I  lay  in  a 
room,  a  real  room,  that  had  windows  with  real  glass 
panes,  over  which  hung  real  white  curtains.  Before 

37 


AMONG  FRIENDS 

I  could  ask  where  I  was  a  man  leaned  over  me  and 
said  that  I  must  not  speak  on  any  account.  He  told 
me  that  I  was  at  Pala,  that  I  had  been  very  ill 
and  had  been  unconscious  for  several  days,  that  the 
speaker  was  Father  Spee,  who  had  nursed  me  into 
life  again.  Father  Spee  seemed  to  me  to  make  huge 
efforts  when  speaking ;  then  I  realised  that  I  was 
nearly  deaf,  and  that  the  kind  man  was  shouting  for 
all  he  was  worth. 

Misfortune  often  brings  one  in  contact  with  one's 
real  friends,  and  during  my  illness  I  received  more 
generous  kindness  than  I  have  ever  before  experi- 
enced. The  whole  convent  seemed  to  exist  only  for 
the  purpose  of  making  life  pleasant  to  me.  Friar  cook 
prepared  the  daintiest  dishes,  Friar  gardener  brought 
me  the  sweetest  and  rarest  fruit,  and  the  other 
Fathers  and  Friars  came  in  turn  to  keep  me  company, 
to  read  to  me  or  to  have  a  quiet  chat.  My  hearing 
improved  greatly  in  a  few  days,  and  on  Christmas 
Day  I  was  allowed  to  leave  my  room  and  dine  in  the 
refectory.  It  took  some  time  before  I  quite  realised 
where  I  was ;  I  flattered  myself  that  I  was  living  a 
real  romance,  that  I  was  a  crusader,  and  had  been 
attended  to  by  the  Templars  in  one  of  their  convents. 
The  talk  I  had  with  some  of  them  rather  confirmed 
my  illusion  than  otherwise,  and  so  did  their  appear- 
ance. They  were  all  tall,  strong  men,  and  wore,  like 
all  members  of  their  order,  long  white  dresses,  their 
only  ornament  being  a  black  rosary ;  their  heads 
were  covered  with  red  Turkish  woollen  caps,  such 
as  are  called  "fez."    They  looked  as  if  they  could 

38 


AMONG  FRIENDS 

fight  just  as  well  as  preach,  and  there  were  several 
among  them  who  had  taken  an  active  part  in  repelling 
the  Arabs.  They  talked  with  pleasure  of  these  old 
times. 

There  was  a  dear  old  Friar  Francis,  one  of  the 
first  to  come  to  this  country,  who  told  me  of  the  life 
in  the  fortress,  for  such  is  Pala,  when  an  attack  was 
expected  ;  how  the  spoons  were  melted  down  to  make 
bullets,  how  the  children  were  drilled,  and  what 
excitement  prevailed  when  the  dhows  of  the  enemy 
were  seen  coming  over  the  lake.  He  talked  of 
Captain  Joubert,  a  French  oflBcer  who  was  in  com- 
mand, how  he  used  to  mount  the  walls  to  survey  the 
enemy's  position,  how  his  hat  was  shot  off  his  head, 
and  how,  exclaiming:  "  Cela  me  fait  tant  d'efiet  que 
de  soufiler  dans  un  violon  ! "  he  shot  at  and  killed  his 
assailant.  Alas,  how  few  of  those  who  escaped  the 
bullets  escaped  the  effects  of  the  climate !  The 
Superior,  Father  Huys,  my  special  chum,  Father 
Faes,  dear  Father  Francis,  and  many  more  are 
dead. 

When  I  was  well  enough  to  move  on,  the  Fathers 
lent  me  a  boat,  which  took  me  to  St.  Louis,  where 
I  met  Captain  Joubert,  for  over  twenty  years 
a  resident  in  the  country.  He  then  sent  me  on 
to  Baudouinville,  where  I  met  the  Bishop,  Mgr. 
Roelens,  the  chief  of  the  order.  I  may  here  mention 
that  the  White  Fathers  take  great  care  to  avoid  the 
mistakes  that  missionaries  so  often  make  ;  their  chief 
aim  is  to  keep  the  natives  on  the  land,  and  to  prevent 
them  from  becoming  boys  and  clerks,  &c.    They  do 

39 


THE  WHITE  FATHERS 

not  teach  them  any  European  language.  The  teach- 
ing is  done  in  the  Swahcili  language,  and  when  the 
children  leave  school  they  are  induced  to  settle  as 
farmers  in  one  of  the  many  villages  founded  by  the 
Fathers.  These  villages  have  an  elected  chief,  and 
are  to  a  great  extent  autonomous ;  they  are  visited 
regularly  by  priests  who,  apart  from  religious  instruc- 
tion, teach  the  natives  all  that  a  prosperous  farmer 
ought  to  know.  The  produce  of  the  farms  is  sold  to 
the  different  towns  on  both  shores  of  the  lake,  and  the 
people  are  doing  extremely  well. 

I  am  afraid  that,  for  reasons  unknown  to  me,  I 
enjoy  the  reputation  of  having  a  strong  feeling  against 
missionaries ;  this  is  not  so,  but  I  do  think  that 
the  African  native  has  my  first  consideration,  and 
I  feel  that  the  greatest  mistake  which  is  made  by 
them,  is  to  take  him  from  the  land  and  create  new 
wants  in  him,  when  there  are  no  means  of  satisfying 
them.    I  have  met  missionaries  of  all  creeds  and 
think  highly  of  many  of  them  ;  I  do  not  wish  to  cast 
the  slightest  doubt  on  their  good  intentions  even 
when  I  doubt  their  wisdom.   I  believe  that  the  White 
Fathers  have  discovered  the  right  way  ;  when  a  native 
leaves  their  school  he  is  a  Christian,  knows  how  to 
read  and  write,  and  has  learned  how  to  put  his  patch 
of  land  to  the  greatest  possible  advantage.    But  in 
other  respects  he  is  just  like  the  other  natives ;  he  is 
encouraged  to  respect  native  laws  and  old  customs  as 
well  as  the  white  man's  law ;  he  lives  like  the  other 
natives  in  his  native  land  and  is  governed  in  native 
fashion.    He  compares  with  the  products  of  Lusambo 

40 


A  Typical  Womax  from  the  Tribf.  of  Zappo  Zap 

The  more  the  traveller  goes  eastsvard,  the  more  refined  the  features  of  the  natives  become,  in  some 
specimens  one  finds  very  few  of  the  characteristics  usually  attributed  to  negroes.  The  black  colour, 
so  common  on  the  West  Coast,  is  replaced  by  a  soft  chocolate-brown,  which  in  certain  individuals 
merges  into  dark  yellow.  Kasai  people  speak  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Lower  Congo  as  "black 
-negroes." 


RECUPERATION 

and  Luebo  civilisation  as  a  farmer  in  Yorkshire  com- 
pares with  a  London  ne'er-do-well. 

At  Baudouinville  I  had  a  relapse,  and  Makoba  told 
me  that  there  was  no  escaping  from  "  Kimputu."  I 
got  a  little  better  and  continued  my  journey  overland, 
but  on  the  second  day  I  fell  in  the  bush  and  could  rise 
no  more.  I  was  carried  to  Lusaka,  and  again  was  put 
right  by  the  White  Fathers  there.  But  my  few  days' 
journey  to  Pweto,  on  Lake  Moeru,  caused  a  serious 
relapse,  and  I  remained  ill  for  several  months.  I  will 
not  trouble  my  reader  with  a  further  description  of 
my  sufferings  ;  it  is  enough  to  say  that  on  one  occasion 
it  was  thought  necessary  to  prepare  a  cofBn  for  me, 
and  that  when  I  rose  after  my  illness  I  had  to  go 
through  the  task  of  learning  to  walk. 

Slowly  but  steadily  I  recovered  my  strength,  and 
June  found  me  as  fit  as  I  had  ever  been  in  my  life. 
Now  a  great  time  of  enjoyment  came  for  me.  My 
official  position  was  really  only  a  formal  one ;  all  I 
was  expected  to  do  was  to  be  in  the  Katanga  as 
a  sign  of  occupation ;  I  was  a  sort  of  broker's 
man.  As  the  "  Comite  Special  du  Katanga "  really 
looked  after  the  administration,  I  had  very  little  to 
say  and  still  less  to  do,  so  I  could  indulge  freely  in 
my  hobbies.  I  took  to  collecting  birds  and  to  big 
game  shooting,  and  spent  weeks  roaming  over  the 
country. 

The  first  journey  I  undertook  was  a  journey  of 
piety,  which  concerned  one  of  the  heroes  of  my  boy- 
hood. When  Livingstone  had  been  on  the  southern 
bank  of  Lake  Tanganyika  he  mentioned  on  his  map  a 

41 


A  NOCTURNAL  VISITOR 

certain  Cape  Akalonga ;  at  the  fixing  of  the  frontiers 
between  British  Central  Africa  and  the  Congo  State 
this  was  taken  as  the  point  where  the  southern 
frontier  began.  But  when  the  officials  went  to  find 
it,  they  reported  that  there  was  no  such  Cape  at  all. 
Now  I  knew  that  Livingstone  could  not  have  made 
such  a  mistake,  and  I  was  keen  to  prove  that  he  had 
not,  so  off  I  went  in  search  of  the  lost  Cape. 

On  my  way  I  camped  one  night  on  the  banks  of 
the  Luzubi,  when  Makoba  came  to  ask  me  if  he  could 
go  and  wash  in  the  river ;  his  request  granted,  off  he 
went.    I  was  sitting  there  quietly  when  I  heard  an 
awful  shriek  :  "  Bwana  ango,  Bwana  ango."    I  knew 
it  was  Makoba.    The  cry  was  repeated  from  a  greater 
distance,  then  farther  away.    I  jumped  up,  snatched 
my  rifle,  called  to  the  men  to  follow  me,  and  rushed 
to  the  river.    At  first  I  could  see  nothing,  but  soon 
I  observed  traces  of  blood,  and  when  examining  the 
soil  I  found  the  footprints  of  a  leopard.    The  writhing 
on  the  sand  revealed  that  Makoba  had  been  knocked 
over  and  dragged  into  the  water.    Holding  my  rifle 
over  my  head  I  swam  across ;  the  man  soon  found 
the  spoor  again,  and  we  followed.    However,  darkness 
overtook  us  and  we  had  to  return.    I  would  not  own 
myself  beaten,  and  the  next  morning  after  a  sleepless 
night  we  continued  our  search.   At  about  eight  o'clock 
we  found  what  was  left  of  my  faithful  companion ;  the 
head  had  been  torn  off  and  half  the  shoulder  had  been 
devoured  by  the  leopard.    I  ambushed,  but  the  whole 
day  passed  without  a  sign  of  the  foe.    At  last,  when 
I  thought  I  should  have  to  give  it  up  because  of  the 

42 


LIONS  AND  LEOPAEDS 

darkness,  the  beast  arrived  and  a  bullet  from  an 
express  rifle  avenged  Makoba. 

Although  lions  are  more  troublesome  than  leopards 
in  the  Katanga,  the  latter  take  a  considerable  toll  of 
the  weaker  part  of  the  population ;  they  usually 
attack  women  or  children.  I  heard  of  an  Englishman 
who  was  there  for  the  mining  company,  who  lost  his 
life  through  one  of  these  pests.  He  had  gone  out  to 
shoot  some  fowl  when  he  found  himself  face  to  face 
with  a  leopard.  He  had  no  choice,  so  he  poured  the 
contents  of  both  the  barrels  of  his  shot  gun  into  the 
animal.  Severely  wounded,  the  leopard  sprang  at 
him  and  knocked  him  down,  inflicting  terrible  wounds 
on  his  left  arm.  The  man  tried  to  get  at  his  hunting 
knife,  but  whenever  he  made  the  slightest  movement 
the  leopard,  which  was  lying  on  him,  mauled  hun 
furiously.  After  some  time,  however,  his  foe  became 
weaker,  and,  taking  advantage  of  this,  the  Englishman 
succeeded  in  drawing  his  knife  and  finished  him. 
When  the  rescuing  party,  sent  out  to  search  for  him, 
came  up,  he  was  lying  there,  with  the  leopard  still 
covering  him  (he  had  not  the  strength  to  shake  him 
cfi"),  trying  with  his  sound  hand  to  roll  a  cigarette. 
Two  hours  later  he  died  from  loss  of  blood. 

When  I  reached  Tanganyika  again,  my  first 
inquiries  were  for  the  Cape,  but  nobody  seemed  to 
know  about  it.  Then  I  asked  if  there  was  a  man  who 
had  known  Livingstone  ;  I  was  shown  an  elder  who 
had  done  so.  At  first  he  was  reluctant  to  give  me 
any  information  at  all,  but  when  he  found  out  that  I 
was  a  great  admirer  of  the  great  explorer  he  grew 

43 


'  A  FINE  MONUMENT 

friendly  and  praised  him  to  the  skies.  I  then  told  him 
that  some  people  doubted  his  friend's  (Livingstone's) 
word  because  he  had  said  there  was  a  Cape  Akalonga, 
and  no  one  could  now  find  it.  "  He  never  lied  ;  come 
and  see,"  was  his  answer.  He  then  led  me  to  a  small 
mountain  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  or  so  from  the 
shore.  "  Look  at  the  soil,"  he  said,  and  it  was  evident 
that  the  lake  had  once  come  to  the  foot  of  the 
mountain.  This,  the  man  told  me,  had  been  still  the 
case  when  Livingstone  had  visited  the  country,  and 
further  inquiry  confirmed  this  fact.  Livingstone's 
memory  is  still  cherished  by  all  who  knew  him,  and 
thus  his  own  acts  alone  have  erected  the  finest  monu- 
ment that  any  traveller  can  boast  of 

Having  satisfied  my  curiosity  concerning  the  Cape 
I  went  off  on  a  little  ramble  amongst  the  Marungu 
mountains.  We  were  rising  continually,  and  soon 
my  half-naked  carriers  began  to  feel  the  cold  keenly. 
This  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  some  of  them 
became  quite  down-hearted,  and  would  have  remained 
behind  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  lions  and  still  more 
for  the  great  number  of  elephants  we  continually 
encountered :  apparently  the  men  would  not  have 
minded  the  risk  of  losing  their  way,  but  they  did  not 
care  to  be  devoured  by  lions  or  to  be  trampled  upon 
by  elephants.  I  quite  realised  this  feeling  when  one 
night  I  was  wakened  by  the  snorting  of  these  giants 
near  my  tent ;  they  were  feeding  in  the  immediate 
proximity  of  my  camp.  It  was  no  use  trying  to 
frighten  them  away ;  for  in  the  stampede  that  would 
have  followed  there  would  have  been  just  as  good  a 

44 


NARROW  ESCAPES 

chance  of  their  running  over  us  as  before,  so  we  simply- 
let  things  be,  but  I  need  not  say  that  none  of  us  had 
any  sleep.  As  a  matter  of  fact  our  fear  was  quite 
unjustified,  for  as  I  now  know,  the  elephant  never 
harms  people  or  their  houses  without  provocation.  I 
have  often  seen  the  track  of  an  elephant  stop  at  the 
place  where  the  animal  must  have  beheld  a  house  or 
even  a  tent,  and  invariably  the  animal  turned  away 
from  it  and  made  a  careful  circuit.  One  night  I  was 
awakened  by  a  cry,  "  Simba,  Simba ! "  (lion),  so  I 
seized  my  rifle  and  rushed  out.  It  was  pitch  dark. 
My  fox-terrier  had  followed  me.  I  saw  nothing,  and 
returned  to  my  tent,  when  I  missed  my  dog.  I  made 
a  torch  of  dry  grass  and  went  out  and  whistled  for 
him  ;  no  answer.  Then  I  observed  a  dark  spot  on  the 
ground  ;  it  was  blood.  My  dog  had  been  taken  by  the 
lion  not  more  than  two  yards  away  from  the  spot 
where  I  had  been  standing. 

On  another  occasion  a  lion  entered  our  camp,  and 
one  of  my  men  fired  a  muzzle-loader  in  the  air  to 
frighten  him.  When  the  men  came  with  torches  we 
found  a  roan  antelope,  freshly  killed  by  the  lion,  lying 
in  the  middle  of  the  camp ;  it  had  been  dragged  there 
and  dropped  when  the  shot  scared  its  captor  away. 

A  pleasanter  incident  occurred  when  we  got  high 
up  in  the  hills ;  I  found  ripe  blackberries.  I  asked 
the  men  if  they  were  edible,  as  I  was  afraid  of  being 
deceived  by  mere  resemblance ;  they  told  me  that 
women  did  eat  them,  but  they  were  not  fit  food  for  men. 
I  thought  otherwise  and  enjoyed  them  thoroughly. 
During  all  our  journeys  in  these  mountains  we  could 

45 


DOMESTIC  PETS 


see  at  a  distance  a  high  mountain,  shaped  like  a  regular 
cube ;  I  was  told  that  this  consisted  of  highly  mag- 
netic metal  ore,  and  this  information  was  confirmed 
by  Father  Van  Acker,  a  great  mountaineer,  who  had 
climbed  every  mountain  in  the  neighbourhood. 

On  my  way  back  I  stopped  at  Kisabi  and  did 
some  shooting.  The  game  there  was  so  abundant 
that  if  I  left  my  camp  at  about  half-past  five  in  the 
morning  I  was  usually  back  before  seven,  having 
shot  an  antelope  or  a  buffalo.  At  the  request  of  the 
natives  I  sat  up  in  the  plantations  for  three  nights 
and  bagged  two  rhinoceros  and  a  wart  hog.  I  bought 
there  two  leopard  cubs  for  a  pair  of  old  rubber  shoes, 
and  a  pair  of  black  serval  kittens  for  two  yards  of 
calico.  The  former  turned  out  charming  pets  in  time, 
but  I  could  do  nothing  with  the  latter.  Although 
they  were  still  blind  when  I  got  them,  and  I  brought 
them  up  with  the  bottle,  they  never  ceased  to  be 
savage  brutes.  When  I  went  to  feed  them  they 
would  crawl  down  and  wait  until  I  turned  my  back ; 
then  they  would  hit  out  savagely  after  my  legs. 
They  soon  found  out  that  the  length  of  their  chain 
prevented  them  from  harming  passers-by,  so  they 
would  lie  for  hours  in  a  corner  and  wait,  and  if  an 
unfortunate  person  came  within  their  reach  would 
scratch  or  bite  him  savagely.  Finally  I  had  to 
destroy  them,  as  they  became  really  dangerous.  The 
leopards,  on  the  other  hand,  were  just  like  kittens, 
and  there  was  no  reason  for  keeping  them  on  chains. 
They  slept  in  my  room,  and  ran  about  free  to  go 
wherever  they  liked.    They  were  perfectly  harmless. 

46 


THE  FLY  BELT 

At  Kisabi,  too,  I  could  hear  at  night  the  roar  of  the 
lion  ;  it  usually  began  before  sunset,  and  seldom  lasted 
very  late.  The  natives  taught  me  to  distinguish 
between  the  different  cries :  thus  a  short  cry,  pause, 
a  longer  cry,  pause,  and  then  a  very  long  and 
violent  cry  followed  by  a  sound  like  distant  thunder 
(this  always  seemed  to  me  to  make  the  very  earth 
tremble),  meant  that  his  lordship  was  out  a-hunting ; 
a  long  wailing  cry  indicated  that  he  called  for  his 
mate  or  for  the  cubs.  I  think  in  its  proper  sur- 
roundings the  roar  of  the  lion  is  grand  music. 

In  my  time  Pweto  was  outside  the  fly  belt,  and 
we  kept  cattle,  and  our  herd  increased  splendidly. 
Lions  never  came  near  the  place,  and  the  hyenas 
whose  howling  we  heard  every  night  could  not,  or 
dared  not,  enter  the  kraal.  Our  donkeys  slept  in  the 
open,  and  one  night  a  hyena  made  an  attempt 
to  carry  off  a  foal ;  but  it  had  gone  to  the  wrong 
address,  for  next  morning  we  found  it  with  its  brain 
knocked  out  by  the  donkeys.  In  1907  I  was  in- 
formed that  the  tsetse  fly  had  invaded  Pweto  and 
that  all  cattle  had  been  destroyed ;  sleeping  sickness 
too  had  made  its  appearance.  Lions  also  had  come, 
and  such  was  their  number  and  their  impudence  that 
the  sentries  posted  at  night  had  to  take  guard  on 
the  roofs  of  the  houses,  and  several  were  killed. 
This  roaming  habit  of  the  lion  was  also  observed 
by  my  friend.  Count  F.  de  Grunne ;  he  told  me  that 
at  Kanda  Kanda  lions  were  practically  unknown  in 
1907,  and  in  1908  they  became  an  absolute  danger. 

What  lions  will  do  when  they  get  into  man-eating 

47 


THE  MAN-EATING  HABIT 

habits  I  experienced  on  a  river  called  Lukumbi- 
Coming  home  from  one  of  my  rambles  I  reached  a 
village  situated  near  the  river.    I  could  not  under- 
stand why  the  natives  should  receive  me  with  such 
unusual  rejoicing ;  I  was  then  told  that  eight  man- 
eating  lions  had  taken  residence  near  this  place,  and 
that  they  had  killed  several  persons.    They  became 
at  last  so  impudent  that  they  would  come  at  night  to 
the  village,  leap  over  the  fires  which  were  kept  up  all 
round  it,  and,  jumping  on  the  thatched  roof  of  a  hut, 
would  break  it  by  their  weight  and  carry  ofi'  the 
unfortunate  occupant.    Now  the  natives  expected  me 
to  shoot  them  all.    I  had  just  prepared  for  dinner 
when  this  account  was  given  me  ;  the  boy  came  along 
with  my  soup  tureen,  a  highly  treasured  piece  of 
crockery,  when   there   resounded   the  well-known 
"Whuuuua"  of  the  king  of  animals;  smash  went 
the  tureen,  and  the  boy  disappeared  in  a  hut  from 
which  neither  threats  nor  cajolery  could  get  him  out 
again.    So  I  had  to  serve  my  dinner  myself.  After 
lighting  fires  round  the  camp  and  arranging  with  the 
natives  to  go  after  the  enemy  the  next  morning,  I 
went  to  bed.    I  slept  soundly  until  I  was  awakened 
by  Sanga,  my  little  dog,  who,  shivering  and  trembling, 
was  trying  to  crawl  underneath  my  blanket,  giving 
painful  little  whines.    I  got  up,  took  my  rifle,  and 
carefully  opened  the  door  of  the  hut.    When  my  eyes 
got  accustomed  to  the  light  of  the  full  moon,  I  saw 
just  behind  the  fire  a  greyish  mass,  and  finally  I  dis- 
tinguished the  glittering  eye  of  a  beast  of  prey.  I 
carefully  returned  to  the  hut  and  fastened  a  piece  of 

48 


BIG  GAME 


paper  to  the  front  of  my  barrel,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
aim  in  the  semi-darkness ;  then  kneeling  and  resting 
my  rifle  on  the  doorstep,  which  was  about  a  foot 
high,  I  took  careful  aim  and  fired.  The  shot  roused 
the  whole  camp  and  was  followed  by  general  con- 
fusion. My  eye  still  on  the  spot  where  I  had  seen 
the  animal,  I  waited ;  nothing  moved.  Then  I  went 
nearer ;  the  little  dog,  howling  with  fear,  walked  in 
front  of  me.  She  was  afraid,  but  she  knew  her  duty 
did  Sanga,  and  never  flinched.  Nearer  and  nearer 
we  came,  and  there  lay  a  fine  lion  stone  dead.  I  sat 
up  for  several  nights  after  this  but  did  not  even  hear 
a  roar,  so  I  left  the  place  for  home. 

I  was  not  long  at  Pweto  before  the  "  Wanderlust " 
took  me  again ;  this  time  I  intended  to  follow  the 
Congo  which  leaves  Lake  Moeru  near  Pweto.  After 
the  first  day's  march  I  reached  a  country  which  can 
justly  be  called  the  hunter's  paradise.  It  consists  of 
park  land  ;  herds  of  antelopes  crossed  the  path  in  the 
early  morning.  Hartebeest,  M'Pala,  Sable,  Pongo, 
and  Roan  antelopes,  waterbuck,  bushbock,  wart  hogs, 
and  red-river  hogs,  one  had  just  to  decide  what  one 
wanted  for  lunch  and  it  was  to  be  had  for  very  little 
trouble  indeed.  Herds  of  black  bufialo  and  zebras 
were  met  with  every  day,  and  the  path  was  frequently 
marked  with  the  spoor  of  lions  and  leopards.  I  had 
a  very  unpleasant  adventure  with  a  solitary  black 
buffalo  which  cost  a  man's  life.  I  was  walking  along 
a  native  track  followed  by  one  of  the  men,  when  I 
heard  him  scream,  and,  turning  round,  I  saw  him 
tossed  in  the  air  by  a  bull.    Before  I  could  shoulder 

49  D 


BIG  GAME 


the  rifle  he  was  down,  and  the  buffalo  trampled  on 
him  furiously.  I  fired,  the  bull  fell  on  his  knee,  and 
a  second  shot  finished  him.  He  was  one  of  the 
solitary  bulls  that  sometimes  are  driven  away  from 
the  herd  by  a  younger  rival ;  he  must  have  been  an 
ill-tempered  rogue,  for  one  of  his  great  horns  was 
partially  broken,  probably  in  a  fight.  The  injured 
man  never  recovered,  and  after  a  few  days'  suffering 
died. 

At  a  village  called  Mweka  I  made  arrangements 
for  a  longer  halt ;  I  had  good  reports  that  elands  could 
be  got  near  there,  and  it  was  my  ambition  to  secure  a 
trophy.  It  took  me  several  days  to  get  in  view  of  a 
herd ;  I  met  all  sorts  of  game,  but  having  made  up 
my  mind  to  get  an  eland,  I  paid  no  attention  to  any- 
thing else.  My  efforts  were  crowned  with  success 
after  about  a  week.  If  I  mention  this  it  is  to  point 
out  that,  in  my  opinion,  it  would  be  quite  possible  to 
tame  these  beautiful  creatures,  and  make  use  of  them 
where  cattle  cannot  exist.  The  Katanga  is  a  country 
which  in  time  will  become  a  "  white  man's  land,"  and 
although  the  discovery  of  the  gold  mines  may  retard 
its  progress,  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  has  a  great 
future.  European  cattle  succumb  to  the  fly,  but  this 
is  not  the  case  with  elands.  It  is  remarkable  that 
our  primitive  ancestors  were  able  to  domesticate  so 
many  animals,  whereas  within  historical  times  we 
have  never  done  so.  Even  the  black  buffalo  may  be 
put  to  use,  and  the  zebras,  as  I  know  from  personal 
experience,  are  easily  tamed ;  although  useless  for  the 
saddle,  in  harness  they  might  do  well  enough. 

50 


AFRICAN  FAUNA 

All  these  animals  seem  to  diminish  in  numbers ; 
why,  I  cannot  explain.  The  simple  presence  of  the 
white  man  is  certainly  not  the  reason  for  it,  for  in 
Pweto,  where  we  made  it  a  strict  rule  that  no  animal 
should  be  shot  within  a  mile  of  the  settlement,  antelopes 
freely  grazed  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  houses. 
Even  the  firing  on  the  exercise  ground  did  not  seem 
to  alarm  them ;  I  have  seen  during  target  practice 
two  redbucks  graze  a  few  steps  from  the  target.  If 
any  attempt  is  to  be  made  to  domesticate  the  con- 
siderable number  of  African  animals  which  promise 
success,  it  is  high  time  that  it  should  be  done  before 
it  is  too  late.  The  destruction  by  the  natives  during 
their  hunting  expeditions  when  they  set  the  bush  on 
fire  is  enormous ;  for  not  only  males,  but  females  and 
calves  are  destroyed  in  terrible  numbers.  The  re- 
serves established  in  Africa  are  of  little  use  so  long 
as  the  wholesale  slaughter  of  game  by  the  natives  is 
permitted.  It  is  no  good  arguing  that  the  white  man 
has  no  right  to  impose  restrictions  on  them  in  their 
own  country  ;  the  country  belongs  as  much  to  animals 
as  to  man. 

Next  I  turned  my  steps  to  the  South  and  made  a 
pilgrimage  to  Lake  Banweulu,  usually  called  Bang- 
welo.  When  coming  back,  being  completely  out  of 
touch  with  current  events,  I  decided  to  travel  in 
the  direction  of  Lake  Kisale,  Mokandu  Bantu,  the 
son  of  M'Siri,  the  famous  former  King  of  the 
Katanga,  gave  me  a  number  of  porters,  and  more 
or  less  aimlessly  I  travelled  right  and  left.  Months 
had  passed  since  I  had  left  Pweto,  so  I  had  not 

51 


AN  UNPLEASANT  SITUATION 

heard  that  the  Batetela  ex-soldiers  had  shown 
activity  again,  and  that  an  expedition  was  in 
pursuit  of  them.  Soon,  however,  I  found  traces  of 
their  passage,  and  I  gathered  information  from  the 
natives  that  I  had  put  myself  between  them  and  the 
Portuguese  frontier,  whither  the  mutineers  were 
retreating.  I  was  in  a  most  unpleasant  position.  I 
could  go  nowhere  without  the  risk  of  meeting  them, 
and  I  had  not  a  single  armed  man  with  me  ;  they  were 
sure  to  make  no  difference  between  combatants  and 
non-combatants,  and  should  I  fall  into  their  hands 
I  was  sure  of  my  fate.  I  spoke  about  it  to  the 
Bayekke  porters  and  asked  them  if  they  would 
stand  by  me.  They  told  me  that  they  could  not 
well  do  otherwise ;  their  chief  had  confided  me  to 
them,  and  they  would  never  dare  to  show  them- 
selves before  him  without  bringing  me  safely  home. 
I  vividly  remember  waking  one  night  and,  going 
out  of  my  tent,  finding  two  of  these  men  standing 
near  it,  armed  with  improvised  spears ;  they  ex- 
plained to  me  that  they  were  watching  over  my 
safety  and  that  they  had  done  so  every  night ! 
We  proceeded  with  the  greatest  caution,  avoiding 
making  fires  at  night,  and  so  finally  crossed  the  danger 
zone  and  reached  home  safely.  It  was  at  the  be- 
ginning of  this  journey  that  I  met  Mr.  George  Grey, 
who  later  fell  a  victim  to  a  lion.  He  was  a  great 
favourite  with  all  who  met  him,  and  blacks  and  whites 
alike  had  only  praise  for  him.  A  keen  sportsman, 
we  enjoyed  some  fine  shooting  together,  and  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  admiring  his  great  personal  courage, 

52 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  WILD 

when  one  day  he  waded  into  the  water  and  with 
a  stick  drove  off  a  crocodile  who  had  hold  of  a 
woman's  arm.  I  think  I  may  tell  this  tale  now 
that  he  is  dead ;  if  he  were  still  alive  I  am  sure 
he  would  have  resented  the  mentioning  of  what  he 
considered  a  trifling  incident. 

In  1904  my  appointment  came  to  an  end  and 
I  started  on  my  journey  home.  I  had  not  the 
slightest  desire  to  see  Europe  again,  and  if  it  had 
been  possible  I  would  have  stayed  on  for  the  rest 
of  my  life.  I  hesitated  for  some  time,  and  if  I  had 
had  to  return  by  the  same  way  I  had  come  I 
think  I  would  have  gone  "  Fanti "  and  stayed  there 
for  ever.  But  the  route  through  the  Kasai  had 
been  opened  by  this  time,  and  I  had  heard  so  much 
of  this  beautiful  country  that  the  desire  to  see  it 
overweighed  the  wish  to  stay,  so  I  was  en  route 
again. 

It  will  give  the  reader  a  good  idea  of  the  changed 
conditions  in  the  Lomani  country,  which  I  had  to 
cross,  if  I  relate  the  following  incident.  I  came  to  a 
village  one  night,  and  the  natives  seemed  rather 
sulky  and  did  not  show  any  of  the  ordinary  signs 
of  friendliness.  During  the  night  a  great  deal  of 
drumming  was  going  on,  and  in  the  morning  I  found 
that  the  attitude  of  the  villagers  had  radically 
changed ;  food  was  provided,  and  the  chief,  who  had 
not  shown  himself  the  night  before,  came  with  a 
rich  present  requesting  me  to  stay  a  few  days  in 
the  place.  I  soon  learned  from  my  men  the  reason 
for  this  pleasant  change.     During  the  night  the 

53 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  WILD 


villagers  had  been  informed  that  another  much  more 
powerful  chief  was  going  to  attack  them,  and  they 
knew  that  as  long  as  they  had  a  European  as  a 
guest  their  enemy  would  not  begin  any  hostilities. 
I  was  without  escort,  but  a  white  man  was  a  white 
man  with  troops  or  without,  and  the  authority  of 
the  State  was  so  well  established  that  his  presence 
made  hostilities  impossible.  I  inquired  of  the  chief 
if  he  could  count  on  any  allies  to  come  to  his  help 
if  I  stayed  longer  ;  he  had  to  answer  in  the  nega- 
tive. Did  he  hope  that  if  I  stayed  on  longer  the 
attack  might  be  abandoned?  He  could  not  say  he 
did.  Finding  that  my  stay  would  be  of  no  real 
use,  I  left  the  villagers  to  their  fate. 

Now,  after  four  years'  residence  I  ought  to  have 
known  better,  and  this  shows  clearly  how  long  it 
takes  to  learn  to  act  in  the  right  way  in  a  strange 
country.  What  I  really  ought  to  have  done  was  to 
go  to  the  menacing  chief  and  through  my  influence 
bring  about  a  peaceful  arrangement  of  the  differences 
that  existed  between  the  two  villages ;  I  am  sure 
now  that  this  would  have  been  quite  possible.  I 
never  heard  what  happened  after  I  left,  and,  to  be 
quite  frank,  I  do  not  like  to  think  of  it. 

Before  reaching  Lusambo,  where  I  was  to  take  a 
steamer  for  Stanley  Pool,  I  met  with  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  adventurers,  remarkable  even  in 
this  country  where  the  violent  changes  of  the  last 
twenty  years  had  favoured  the  rise  of  many  black 
knights  of  fortune.  This  man  was  Zappo  Zap, 
Congo  Lutete  was  one  of  the  first  chiefs  in  the 

54 


A  BLACK  KNIGHT 

Eastern  Congo  who  had  recognised  Arab  rule  and, 
as  their  ally,  built  up  a  big  kingdom,  the  provinces 
of  which  were  ruled  by  chiefs  who  recognised  his 
suzerainty.  Among  these  was  Pania  Mutumbu,  who 
had  as  his  head-man  Zappo  Zap.  This  man  distin- 
guished himself  in  his  slave-raiding  expeditions  and 
finally  became  himself  independent,  and  was  one  of  the 
most  bloodthirsty  and  cruel  auxiliaries  of  the  Arabs. 
When  he  saw  that  things  were  against  them  he 
turned  traitor  and  sided  with  the  Europeans.  He 
had  always  been  successful  in  siding  with  the  victors, 
and  up  to  this  day  has  retained  his  chieftainship. 
I  do  not  think  it  wise  that  this  should  be  so,  as  I 
consider  him  the  greatest  scoundrel  unhanged,  a  man 
whom  the  French  would  describe  as  "  pecheur  dans 
I'eau  trouble."  He  is  very  rich  and  very  powerful, 
and  has  always  succeeded  in  making  money  out  of 
other  people's  misfortunes.  His  harem  is  one  of  the 
grandest  in  the  Congo,  and  he  never  travels  without 
a  huge  company  of  wives  and  followers.  I  do  not 
think  that  he  has  finished  yet,  and  hope  he  will  be 
found  out  by  the  Government  before  more  serious 
harm  has  been  done.  I  know  on  the  best  authority 
that  he  was  responsible  for  the  rising  of  the  Bush- 
ongo ;  when  he  saw  that  it  would  be  unsuccessful 
he  turned  against  them,  and  his  brigands  committed 
most  of  the  depredations  attributed  to  the  Bushongo. 

From  Lusambo  I  descended  by  steamer  to  Stanley 
Pool ;  the  country  traversed  has  been  brilliantly 
described  by  Mr.  Hilton  Simpson  in  his  Land  and 
People  of  the  Kasai,  so  I  will  say  nothing  about  it. 

55 


A  BLACK  KNIGHT 

From  there  I  went  down  by  rail  and  returned  by 
the  Belgian  mail  boat  to  Europe.  I  soon,  however, 
got  tired  of  civilisation,  and  it  was  then  that  I 
started  on  my  second  journey,  which  will  cover 
the  remaining  part  of  these  pages. 


56 


CHAPTER  III 


Travel  in  the  Congo — Uncomfortable  quarters — Insect  pests — The  key  of  the 
Upper  Congo— Old  friends  —  A  pernicious  habit  —  A  novel  method  of 
barter  —  A  deposed  monarch  —  An  amusing  incident  —  Cooks  and  their 
ways — Cannibalism — A  case  for  arbitration — Native  legal  methods — A 
bond  against  bloodshed — A  distinguished  guest. 

LEAVING  Southampton  on  February  11,  1905,  on 
^  an  Elder  Dempster  boat,  I  proceeded  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Congo ;  but  I  will  not  weary  the  reader 
with  details  of  the  voyage  which  has  been  described 
too  often  to  possess  much  interest.  My  railway 
journey  from  Matadi  to  Leopoldville  may  likewise  be 
dismissed  in  a  few  words ;  it  suffices  to  say  that  for  a 
journey  of  less  than  250  miles  two  whole  days  are 
required ;  and  this  was  in  many  respects  the  most 
trying  part  of  all  my  travels,  for  the  carriages  have 
springs  which  serve  no  practical  purpose,  and  the 
gauge  of  the  railway  is  only  2  feet  6  inches,  the 
result  being  that  the  traveller  is  as  well  shaken  up 
as  if  he  were  a  bottle  of  medicine.  We  broke  the 
journey  for  the  night  at  Tumba.  I  was  happy 
enough  to  secure  a  lodging  in  a  so-called  hotel. 
Most  of  the  hotels  in  Tumba  consisted  at  that 
time  of  buildings  constructed  of  old  boxes ;  the  best 
room,  10  feet  by  10,  was  luxuriously  furnished  with 
an  iron  wash-stand,  a  trestle  bedstead,  a  mosquito 
net,  and,  as  table  de  nuit,  an  empty  box,  which,  if 

57 


UNCOMFORTABLE  QUARTERS 

the  scent  was  not  unusually  deceptive,  had  con- 
tained salt  fish. 

There  were  several  indications  that  the  hotel  was 
prosperous  and  frequented  by  numerous  travellers  ; 
innumerable  stumps  of  burnt-down  candles  adhered 
to  the  fish-box,  many  corpses  garnished  the  mosquito 
net  and,  as  the  blood-stains  clearly  indicated,  they 
must  have  fleshed  their  weapons  of  ofi"ence  on  their 
hapless  victims  before  they  fell  on  their  champ 
d'honneur.  The  mosquito  is  the  most  dangerous 
animal  in  Africa  ;  you  can  defend  yourself  against 
the  lion,  snakes  flee  before  the  approach  of  man, 
crocodiles  are  quite  inofiensive  on  land,  but  the 
mosquito  displays  in  his  warfare  against  the  human 
race  an  energy  worthy  of  a  better  cause. 

In  justice  to  the  hotel  I  must  add  that  the 
mosquitoes  were  not  the  only  domestic  animals  in 
the  room.  Cockroaches,  some  two  inches  long, 
bobbed  against  my  face,  enormous  spiders  crept  out 
of  the  crevices,  and  regiments  of  jiggers  seemed  to 
lie  in  wait  on  the  floor  for  an  opportunity  of  en- 
sconcing themselves  beneath  my  toe-nails. 

After  adding  to  the  collection  of  corpses  on  the 
mosquito  net,  I  rose  from  a  sleepless  couch  and 
summoned  the  chambermaid  to  bring  me  some 
water.  A  drowsy  negress  made  her  appearance, 
brought  me  about  a  pint  of  the  necessary  liquid, 
and  reminded  me  in  broken  French  that  she  ex- 
pected to  be  rewarded  by  matahiche  (a  tip)  for  the 
great  trouble  to  which  I  had  put  her. 

On  the  return  journey  all  this  was  changed ; 

58 


INSECT  PESTS 

Tumba  had  been  transformed  to  Thysville,  where 
very  decent  quarters  could  be  obtained  at  a 
moderate  price. 

The  second  day  was  less  unpleasant ;  we  had  left 
the  mountainous  country,  and  the  body-shaking 
curves  were  behind  us.  About  4.30  the  train  arrived 
at  Kinchasa,  near  Leopold ville,  and  in  less  than  four 
hours  my  luggage  was  conveyed  from  the  railway 
station  to  an  hotel  about  three  hundred  yards  distant. 
It  was  with  relief  that  I  saw  the  steamer  for  the 
up-river  voyage  lying  at  her  berth,  for  I  knew  Kin- 
chasa of  old.  I  was  there  in  1900.  At  that  time  the 
daily  routine  was  as  follows:  at  5  a.m.,  with  the  aid 
of  two  boys  to  fight  the  mosquitoes,  I  breakfasted  amid 
fires  of  dry  baobab  fruit,  which  produced  a  strong  and 
disagreeable  smoke,  but  the  mosquitoes  did  not  spare 
me ;  I  went  to  work  still  protected  by  my  two  boys, 
who  frantically  waved  branches  on  all  sides  of  me, 
but  without  producing  muchrefiect.  In  the  afternoon 
there  was  a  change,  but  only  in  the  boys.  The  first 
two  retired  exhausted,  and  their  successors  applied 
themselves  with  vigour  to  the  work  of  keeping  the 
mosquitoes  at  bay ;  when  evening  came  dense  clouds 
of  my  tormentors  obliged  me  to  retire  finally  under 
my  mosquito  net. 

Apart  from  these  little  pests,  there  is  an  abund- 
ance of  snakes  in  Kinchasa,  that  makes  the  keeping  of 
domestic  animals  impossible.  I  have  seen  whole  pigs 
swallowed  by  them. 

There  has  been  a  decided  improvement  since  1900 
in  the  sanitation  of  Kinchasa,  but  none  the  less  I  was 

59 


THE  KEY  OF  THE  UPPER  CONGO 


relieved  to  find  that  the  steamer  would  start  in  forty- 
eight  hours  at  the  latest.  I  utilised  the  spare  time  in 
visiting  Leopoldville  and  paying  calls  on  my  old 
friends.  To  describe  the  progress  that  has  been  made 
there  would  demand  a  special  chapter,  and  would  not 
interest  the  general  reader.  I  therefore  pass  over  the 
subject  with  the  remark  that  the  advance  has  been 
enormous.  To  give  an  idea  of  the  importance  of 
Leopoldville  I  may  say  that  more  than  two  hundred 
Europeans  are  permanent  residents,  and  among  its 
industries  is  shipbuilding.  Leopoldville  is  the  key  of 
the  Upper  Congo,  and  its  prosperity  must  increase 
from  year  to  year. 

The  Fumu-Tangu  is  a  stern- wheel  steamer  of 
about  fifty  tons  burthen ;  she  belongs  to  the  Kasai 
Company,  and  ensures  a  regular  weekly  service 
between  Kinchasa  and  Dima,  the  headquarters  of  the 
Company.  The  details  of  the  journey  up  the  river 
Congo  are  not  uninteresting,  but  they  have  been  de- 
scribed by  the  fertile  and  brilliant  pen  of  Sir  H.  H. 
Johnston,  and  I  will  not  attempt  to  follow  him.  In 
Kinchasa  a  fellow-traveller  had  engaged  a  cook  from 
Sierra  Leone,  where,  according  to  his  own  account,  he 
had  served  the  Governor  in  a  similar  capacity.  We 
entrusted  to  him  all  our  most  precious  dainties — beef, 
the  last  we  should  see  for  years,  potatoes,  and  currants 
■ — at  6  A.M. ;  when  the  midday  meal  hove  in  sight 
our  mouths  watered,  but  our  domestic  produced  a 
mess  which  he  termed  "  Irish  stew,"  the  result  of 
boiling  all  the  ingredients  together  for  six  hours ;  so 
we  dined  on  bread  and  cheese. 

60 


OLD  FRIENDS 

Among  the  black  crew  I  found  some  old  friends 
who  came  up  to  me,  greeted  me,  complimented  me, 
and  asked  me  for  presents.  I  gratified  their  wishes 
and  was  at  once  a  general  favourite,  so  much  so,  in 
fact,  that  in  the  evening,  when  a  fly  fell  into  my  soup, 
three  black  hands  at  once  dived  into  my  dish  to 
rescue  the  intruder  and  save  me  from  annoyance. 
On  the  whole  we  had  a  very  agreeable  journey.  On 
arriving  at  Dima  I  changed  steamers  and  boarded  the 
good  ship  Marie,  a  stern-wheel  boat  of  twelve  tons 
burthen,  which  for  two  years  was  to  be  my  sole 
means  of  communication  with  the  outside  world.  We 
had  two  hours  steaming  down  the  Kasai  before  we 
entered  the  mouth  of  the  Kwango ;  ten  miles  from 
the  mouth  we  reached  the  Kwilu  River.  The  shores 
are  absolutely  flat,  and  navigation  is  endangered  by 
numerous  sandbanks.  Near  the  outlet  of  the  Kwilu 
it  was  possible  to  distinguish  with  ease  the  waters  of 
the  two  streams— the  Kwilu  clear  and  transparent, 
the  Kwango  yellow  and  muddy.  As  soon  as  I  reached 
the  Kwilu  I  began  to  feel  at  home,  not  that  I  had 
ever  been  there  before,  but  the  boat  was  the  boat 
of  the  Kwilu,  the  captain  was  the  captain  of  the 
Kwilu ;  he  knew  all  the  natives,  and  all  the  natives 
knew  him.    We  were  heartily  welcomed  everywhere. 

After  passing  the  mouth  of  the  Inzia  the  right 
bank  of  the  river  begins  to  rise,  and  attains  a  height 
of  some  thirty  feet  near  Chimbaua,  which  was 
formerly  the  most  important  commercial  centre  on 
the  Kwilu ;  indeed,  it  may  be  said  that  the  whole 
of  the  tra^e  of  tb©  district  passed  through  this  place. 

61 


A  PERNICIOUS  HABIT 

At  that  time  the  population,  composed  of  Bahuana 
freemen  and  Bayanzi  slaves,  exceeded  500  persons, 
at  least  200  of  whom  were  waiting  on  the  shore  to 
try  to  barter  their  goods  with  the  steamer.  Among 
their  wares  were  bunches  of  hemp  for  the  delectation 
of  the  Baluba  crew  of  the  boat,  for  it  must  be  under- 
stood that  hemp  smoking  is  a  widely  spread  and 
pernicious  practice.  In  the  interests  of  their  health  I 
intervened,  purchased  the  whole  supply  and  deposited 
it  in  the  fire.  They  came  to  remonstrate,  and  when  I 
tried  to  explain  how  bad  it  was  for  their  health  to 
smoke  it,  they  would  not  believe  me ;  in  fact,  one 
man  told  me  that  hemp  was  food,  strength,  and 
happiness  for  them,  and  that  without  it  life  was  not 
worth  living.  So  far  I  am  glad  to  say  the  Kwilu 
peoples  have  not  taken  over  the  practice,  but  I  fear  it 
is  merely  a  question  of  time. 

Among  the  people  on  the  shore  at  Chimbana  was 
the  chief,  named  Luano,  but  I  learned  later  that  his 
authority  was  small,  all  the  power  being  in  the 
hands  of  his  mother,  an  energetic  dame  of  some  fifty 
summers. 

We  stayed  at  Chimbana  about  an  hour,  taking  in 
wood.  At  last  the  steamer  whistled,  and  we  were 
putting  off  from  the  quay.  This  is  the  supreme 
moment  from  the  commercial  point  of  view ;  the  goods 
are  perishable  and  prices  fall  rapidly,  sometimes  to  an 
extent  of  50  to  90  per  cent.  Bargains  are  rapidly 
struck,  and  the  goods  begin  to  arrive  ;  fowls,  bananas, 
bags  of  flour,  sweet  potatoes,  live  goats,  parrots,  and 
other  miscellaneous  articles  begin  to  hurtle  through 

62 


A  NOVEL  METHOD  OF  BARTER 


the  air,  for  the  boat  is  already  leaving  the  shore 
behind.  There  is  a  return  current  from  the  boat  to 
the  shore  of  articles  intended  to  pay  for  the  produce 
thus  thrown  on  board ;  the  crew  despatch  bottles  of 
salt,  pieces  of  European  cloth,  brass  rods,  &c.,  in 
payment  for  the  delicacies  thrown  at  their  heads. 
The  parties  to  the  transaction  deal  fairly  with  one 
another,  for  a  defaulter  would  be  a  marked  man.  It 
does,  however,  happen  occasionally  that  advances 
made  by  the  crew  on  the  voyage  upstream,  which 
should  be  met  by  a  corresponding  supply  of  home 
produce  on  the  return  voyage,  have  to  be  written  off 
as  bad  debts,  but  this  seems  to  trouble  the  losers  but 
little,  for  their  profits  are  enormous.  To  give  an 
idea  of  the  extent  of  this  minor  trade  an  incident  on 
the  Inzia  may  be  related ;  the  boat  Est  du  Kivango 
was  at  anchor,  and  the  captain  resting  from  his 
labours  on  his  downy  couch ;  the  crew  were  busily 
engaged  in  making  purchases  ;  the  stock  of  flour  in- 
creased steadily,  and  as  more  and  more  purchases 
were  made,  the  boat  sank  lower  and  lower  in  the 
water  till  she  finally  disappeared  beneath  the  surface. 

On  the  way  up  the  river  several  islands  are  passed, 
overgrown  with  trees  and  shrubs.  The  right  bank  of 
the  river,  originally  the  higher,  diminishes  in  height, 
while  the  left  bank  increases  till  by  the  time  we 
reach  Luano  the  right  bank  is  absolutely  level  with 
the  water  and  the  left  some  forty  feet  high.  On  the 
way  we  passed  several  hippopotami,  which  seemed  to 
be  on  familiar  terms  with  the  steamer  ;  the  crocodiles 
on  the  sandbanks  lazily  slid  into  the  water  at  the  last 

63 


A  DEPOSED  MONARCH 

moment,  as  if  they  really  felt  it  was  a  work  of 
supererogation  to  avoid  so  harmless  a  visitant,  and  an 
elephant  which  met  us  in  the  morning  swimming 
down  stream,  his  trunk  high  out  of  the  water  in  the 
form  of  an  S,  only  disappeared  into  the  bush  when 
we  had  got  within  a  hundred  yards  of  him. 

Somewhere  on  the  journey  between  Kongo  and 
Luano  we  passed  a  wide,  grassy  expanse,  some  seven 
hundred  yards  square  ;  before  we  got  there  the  captain 
informed  me  that  in  the  middle  would  be  seen  a 
buffalo,  which  was  always  there ;  and  so  it  was.  This 
buffalo  had  been  seen  on  every  journey  up  and  down 
the  river,  and  had  acquired  a  supernatural  reputa- 
tion among  the  natives,  who  believed  that  it  always 
remained  on  that  one  spot.  Singularly  enough  some 
two  years  later,  on  my  return,  the  buffalo  was  still 
there,  but  I  should  not  like  to  affirm  that  it  had  not 
stirred  from  the  place.  It  was  a  solitary  old  bull,  one 
of  the  vicious  animals  which  had  been  driven  by  a 
younger  competitor  out  of  the  herd  over  which  he  ruled. 

The  captain  of  the  Marie  had  one  great  pecu- 
liarity ;  he  was  liable  to  sudden  and  convenient 
attacks  of  total  deafness,  which,  singularly  enough, 
coincided  with  the  propounding  of  a  question  which 
he  did  not  wish  to  answer.  In  this  connection  may 
be  told  the  story  of  how  he  taught  Dutch  to  one 
of  his  Belgian  passengers.  The  latter,  whom  we 
will  term  Mr.  X.,  was  able,  like  most  Belgians,  to 
speak  Flemish,  which  is  practically  the  same  as 
Dutch ;  like  many  Walloon  Belgians  he  was,  how- 
ever,   disinclined   to  use   any  other   tongue  than 

64 


AN  AMUSING  INCIDENT 

French,  so  during  the  voyage  from  Europe,  which 
he  made  in  the  captain's  company,  the  pair  who 
were  in  the  service  of  the  same  company  did  not 
exchange  a  single  word,  for  the  captain  spoke  no 
French,  though  he  understood  it  to  some  extent. 
When  they  reached  the  Dima  Mr.  X.  was  ordered 
to  proceed  up  the  Kwilu  on  the  boat  commanded 
by  his  fellow-passenger,  and  the  latter  resolved  to 
have  his  revenge  for  the  somewhat  discourteous 
treatment  he  had  suffered.  So  he  rose  at  an  un- 
earthly hour  and  had  finished  his  breakfast  well 
before  6  a.m.  When  his  one  and  only  passenger 
appeared  some  two  hours  later  he  approached  the 
captain  and  remarked  in  French  that  he  would  like 
some  breakfast.  He  was  met  with  the  reply  (in 
Dutch)  :  "I  am  extremely  sorry,  but  I  really  don't 
understand  what  you  are  talking  about."  Mr.  X., 
talking  very  slowly  and  very  loudly,  repeats  that 
he  would  be  glad  of  something  to  eat,  but  again 
the  captain  assures  him  that  he  is  incomprehensible. 
Despairing  cries  of  "  Manger,  manger,  manger,"  pro- 
duce no  effect,  and  pantomimic  action  is  of  equally 
little  avail.  At  last,  the  hour  being  nearly  9  a.m., 
Mr.  X.  in  desperation  breaks  out  in  Flemish,  "  Good 
gracious,  man,  give  me  something  to  eat ;  I  am 
starving,"  and  with  a  smile  of  triumph  the  captain 
replies,  "  With  the  greatest  pleasure ;  and  you 
really  owe  me  gratitude  for  having  taught  you  to 
speak  Dutch." 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  fourth  day  on  the  Kwilu 
we  arrived  at  Kongo.    I  went  on  shore  and  installed 

65  B 


COOKS  AND  THEIR  WAYS 

myself.  Kongo  is  a  settlement  with  one  permanent 
inhabitant  of  white  blood ;  the  population  is  com- 
posed of  Bayanzi  and  Bahuana ;  but  from  an  anthro- 
pological point  of  view  they  were  of  little  interest 
in  consequence  of  the  amount  of  crossing. 

Of  course  my  first  care  was  to  select  a  suitable 
retinue.  It  is  quite  impossible  to  venture  into  new 
country  if  one  cannot  rely  upon  one's  own  people. 
Consequently,  though  I  am  highly  conservative  and 
like  to  keep  my  two  servants  for  the  whole  time 
I  am  in  the  Congo,  I  at  once  reject  all  who  do  not 
give  complete  satisfaction  in  the  early  days  of  their 
service.  Accordingly  I  engaged  and  dismissed  fully 
twenty  boys  in  the  first  two  months  before  I  had 
finally  got  one  who  was  to  my  liking.  HLm  I 
secured  under  the  following  circumstances.  A 
European  informed  me  that  he  was  parting  with 
his  cook  on  the  grounds  that  he  was  vain  and  fond 
of  dress,  and  never  ready  with  the  meals  at  the 
right  time  because  he  was  always  engaged  in  beauti- 
fying his  person.  Now  a  negro  who  adorns  himself 
to  perform  his  culinary  duties  is  a  real  treasure ; 
if  in  a  European  settlement  you  see  a  man  who  is 
exceptionally  dirty  and  disgusting  you  may  be  sure 
it  is  the  cook.  The  blacks  insist  on  their  wives 
making  use  of  spoons  and  other  appliances  when 
they  prepare  food  for  their  lords  and  masters ;  but 
these  precautions  are  deemed  useless  where  it  is 
only  a  European  who  is  to  consume  the  product. 
I  have  seen  an  exceedingly  dirty  individual  pre- 
paring meat-balls  for  his  master  by  taking  the  mince 

66 


COOKS  AND  THEIR  WAYS 

into  his  hands  and  rolling  it  on  his  chest  until  it 
was  shaped  to  his  liking ;  I  may  add  that  his  master 
was  not  present.  But  the  aboriginal  beau,  whose 
name  was  Bokale,  served  me  faithfully  and  gave 
much  satisfaction,  till,  as  will  be  seen  later,  he  was 
called  to  a  higher  sphere  of  duty  as  chief  of  a 
village.  I  interviewed  him  at  an  early  opportunity 
and  gave  him  some  good  advice  and  practical  illus- 
trations, and  assured  him  that  for  the  first  month 
he  might  serve  up  my  food  half  cooked,  burn  it  or 
otherwise  render  it  uneatable  with  impunity,  but 
that,  if  after  the  expiration  of  his  period  of  licence 
he  did  not  serve  me  up  quite  tip-top  meals,  I  should 
visit  his  iniquities  with  grievous  unnamed  penalties. 
I  may  here  remark  that  the  importance  of  proper 
food  is  only  too  often  underestimated  by  novices 
in  tropical  climates.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
appetite  is  as  a  general  rule  in  hot  countries  small 
or  non-existent ;  thus  anything  like  disgust  at  the 
nature  of  the  food  put  before  one  prevents  a  Euro- 
pean from  taking  what  is  absolutely  necessary  for 
the  support  of  his  bodily  strength ;  he  is  usually 
anaemic,  and  the  more  anaemic  he  grows  the  less 
appetite  he  has  ;  and  so  he  goes  from  bad  to  worse, 
till  he  either  returns  to  Europe  or  leaves  his  bones 
in  a  foreign  land.  Cooking  is  of  course  of  the 
greatest  importance  where  food  is  scarce,  and  where 
supplies,  once  exhausted  by  improvidence  or  waste, 
are  not  readily  replaced. 

This  danger  did  not  exist  however  in  Kongo ; 
any  amount   of  chickens   could   be   purchased  at 

67 


CANNIBALISM 

threepence  apiece,  goats  and  pigs  were  frequently 
refused  when  the  top  price  asked  was  two  shillings. 
As  for  native  food,  enormous  quantities  of  cassava, 
sweet  potatoes,  yams,  bananas,  beans  (probably 
introduced  by  Europeans),  plantains,  maize,  &c.,  are 
exported,  the  people  not  being  able  to  consume  all 
that  they  produce. 

How  then  can  we  explain  the  fact  that  it  is 
precisely  in  this  country  that  cannibalism  is  most 
rife  ?  In  some  parts  of  the  Congo  only  enemies  slain 
in  war  are  eaten  by  the  victors ;  but  in  Kongo 
slaves  are  also  purchased  and  eaten.  One  day 
Mapanda,  Chief  of  Kongo,  sent  me  a  so-called 
"  antelope  leg,"  which  I  instantly  recognised  as  a 
portion  of  a  human  thigh.  I  have  in  Europe  an 
anthropological  friend,  normally  a  vegetarian,  the 
wish  of  whose  life  is  to  take  part  in  a  cannibal  feast. 
As  he  was  not  with  me  and  I  had  no  means  of 
sending  the  titbit  home  to  him  in  Europe,  I  re- 
turned it  to  the  donor,  and  explained  to  him  that 
such  proceedings  were  most  improper.  He  did  not 
follow  my  reasoning,  however,  and  in  fact  he  took 
up  the  position  of  my  vegetarian  friend,  who  does 
not  distinguish  between  the  practice  of  eating  the 
flesh  of  goats  and  that  of  human  beings. 

For  a  European  who  has  neither  the  right  nor 
the  power  to  intervene,  it  is  a  most  uncomfortable 
position  to  be  obliged  to  witness,  or  at  any  rate 
know  of  the  perpetration  of  acts  of  cannibalism  in 
his  immediate  neighbourhood.  But  I  hear  that 
the   Government    is    now    proposing    to  establish 

68 


A  MUSEUM  OF  SKULLS 

several  small  posts  with  the  express  intention  of 
putting  down  the  practice. 

Mapanda  is  a  very  old  man ;  when  I  met  him 
he  was  unable  to  walk,  so  I  gave  him  some  arnica 
from  my  medicine  chest  with  which  to  rub  his  legs. 
Some  three  or  four  days  later  he  came  to  see  me 
on  foot  and  offer  his  thanks  for  the  effectual  remedy. 
But  I  heard  later  that  my  benevolence  had  excited 
grave  dissatisfaction  in  the  neighbourhood ;  for,  as 
they  said,  *'  Mapanda  finds  it  difficult  enough  to  die 
as  it  is,  and  if  this  stranger  supplies  him  with  drugs 
like  this  he  will  assuredly  live  for  ever."  They 
did  not  seem  to  have  any  particular  animosity 
against  him ;  but  I  think  they  grudged  him  the 
quantity  of  palm  wine  which  he  consumed.  In  my 
presence  one  morning  he  consumed  gallons  without 
being  apparently  any  the  worse  for  it.  I  may  add 
that  he  ate  very  little  as  a  rule.  How  old  he  was 
I  cannot  say,  but  I  know  that  he  counted  great- 
great-grandchildren  among  his  descendants. 

In  the  village,  near  his  house,  Mapanda  has  a 
museum  of  skulls,  which  I  coveted  for  anthropological 
purposes.  These  are  not  only  the  crania  of  enemies 
and  slaves  who  had  been  eaten  in  the  village,  but 
also  crania  sent  as  tribute  by  the  neighbouring 
villages,  who  have  to  transmit  to  him  in  recognition 
of  his  overlordship  the  skulls  of  all  enemies  whom 
they  kill  in  war. 

About  a  month  after  I  reached  Kongo  I  was 
summoned  to  a  neighbouring  village,  over  which 
Fumasita  ruled,  to  arbitrate  in  a  dispute  between 

69 


A  CASE  FOR  ARBITRATION 

them  and  the  village  of  Chilumu.  To  make  the  posi- 
tion clear  I  must  remark  that  the  Bayanzi  village  of 
Fumasita  was  at  war  with  the  Bambala  village  of 
Fuete,  both  being  at  peace  with  Chilumu's  people 
(Bahuana).  A  Mombala  had  killed  a  Mohuana  by- 
mistake,  thinking  he  was  a  Moyanzi  of  Fumasita,  It 
is  a  well-recognised  principle  of  African  law  that  com- 
pensation has  to  be  paid  in  cases  of  this  sort.  Now 
tlie  village  of  Fuete  was  far  too  strong  for  it  to  be 
possible  to  make  any  claim  against  the  people  with 
prospect  of  success ;  in  fact,  I  could  not  have  ex- 
tracted compensation  from  them  myself,  even  if  I  had 
wished  it.  Chilumu,  therefore,  approached  the  folk 
of  Fumasita  and  demanded  compensation  for  the  loss 
of  his  vassal,  which,  as  he  pointed  out,  was  entirely 
due  to  the  fact  that  Fuete  and  Fumasita  were  at  war 
with  one  another  ;  in  explanation  of  his  failure  to 
claim  damages  from  Fuete,  he  insisted  on  their  remote 
situation,  four  hours'  march  away,  and  the  impossi- 
bility of  extracting  compensation  from  so  strong  a 
litigant  unless  they  chose  to  appear  at  a  palaver 
(jnilo7iga). 

Fumasita  replied,  very  naturally,  that  they  were 
entirely  innocent  in  the  matter,  and  that,  in  any 
case,  Chilumu's  man  was  guilty  of  contributory  negli- 
gence in  venturing  near  Fumasita  when  he  knew  that 
Fuete  was  at  war  with  it.  The  proceedings  lasted 
for  some  four  hours,  and  in  the  end  I  decided  that  no 
compensation  was  payable.  The  chiefs  of  the  village 
concerned  were  most  grateful  for  my  assistance,  and 
each  gave  me  a  goat  in  payment.    But,  at  the  same 

70 


SETTLING  DISPUTES 

time,  it  must  be  admitted  that  my  judgment  was  re- 
ceived with  universal  dissatisfaction ;  and  I  can  only 
plead,  in  self-defence,  that  I  had  returned  from  Europe 
to  the  Congo  too  recently  to  have  fallen  back  into 
African  modes  of  thought. 

The  Bahuana  and  the  Bayanzi,  who  were  con- 
cerned in  the  palaver,  have  largely  adopted  Bambala 
judicial  and  other  customs ;  but  their  appeal  to  a 
stranger  like  myself  is  not  among  these  alien  usages — 
it  is  essentially  a  Bahuana  institution.  But  before 
appeahng  to  me  Chilumu  had  sent  a  message  to  the 
Bambala  village  of  Fuete  and  demanded  kama-kumi, 
otherwise  termed  mavuka,^  but  without  result ;  this 
is  a  Bambala  custom,  and  if  his  demand  had  been 
complied  with,  there  would  have  been  a  palaver 
[milonga)  attended  by  all  the  villages  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood interested  in  the  case  or  otherwise,  and  the 
decision  would  have  been  reached  by  acclamation. 

Disputes,  whether  between  people  of  different 
villages,  whether  two  Bambala,  or  a  Mombala  and 
a  member  of  another  tribe,  are  settled  by  milonga. 
If  A.  steals  a  goat  belonging  to  B.  he  probably  boasts 
of  it  before  the  day  is  out  among  his  intimate  friends, 
pledging  them  all  to  secrecy.  The  information  travels 
with  express  speed  to  B.,  who  sends  a  messenger  to 
A.  asking  for  kama-kumi  (literally,  hundred  or  ten), 
that  is  for  a  few  djimbu  (a  small  shell  worth  three- 
pence a  hundred),  a  little  salt  or  other  trifle.  The 
giving  of  kama-kumi  is  equivalent  to  an  admission  of 


*  A  small  gift,  which  means  as  much  as  "pleading  gnilty  "  in  our  courts  ; 
it  will  be  explained  in  detail  later. 

71 


NATIVE  LEGAL  METHODS 

guilt  and  responsibility  for  the  act.  If  the  culprit 
refuses  to  give  Jcama-kumi  the  village  of  the  claimant 
may,  with  its  allies,  declare  war  on  the  village  of  the 
defendant,  supported  in  like  manner  by  his  friends ; 
but  it  is  rarely  that  matters  come  to  this  pass,  unless, 
as  was  the  case  with  Fuete  in  the  problem  put  before 
me,  the  offender  lives  in  the  midst  of  friendly  villages 
and  at  a  distance  from  the  country  of  the  claimant,  so 
that  the  chances  of  a  war  are  remote. 

If  haraa-humi  is  given,  B.  sends  an  arrow  to  the 
chief  of  A.'s  village,  on  which  are  incised  a  number 
of  cuts  corresponding  to  the  number  of  days  that 
are  to  elapse  before  the  palaver  is  held.  When  the 
appointed  day  comes  the  male  population  of  the  two 
villages  chiefly  concerned  in  the  case,  and  of  all  the 
neighbouring  villages,  whether  allied  with  the  parties 
or  not,  assembles  for  the  milonga.  B.  or  his  repre- 
sentative opens  the  case,  and  A.  replies.  He  admits 
that  he  stole  the  goat,  but  retorts  that  B.'s  grand- 
father some  fifty  years  before  was  guilty  of  seducing 
A.'s  grandfather's  wife.  B.  admits  this,  and  pleads 
in  extenuation  that  A.'s  grandfather  stole  a  fowl  from 
his  father;  A.'s  reply  is  that  a  slave  of  B.'s  grand- 
father's brother-in-law  once  stole  a  pig  from  his  (A.'s) 
uncle.  And  so  the  case  proceeds,  each  party  being 
backed  up  by  the  eloquence  of  noted  advocates  until 
either  charges  or  countercharges  are  exhausted,  and 
the  victory  then  falls  to  the  party  which  still  has  a 
complaint  against  the  other  sidd  up  its  sleeve.  It 
rests  with  the  assembly  to  decide  whether  the  evi- 
dence is  admissible.    A  good  point  is  hailed  with  a 

72 


NATIVE  LEGAL  METHODS 

murmur  of  pimho  (good),  or  joimbo  nzanza  (very  good), 
and  a  false  issue  is  shouted  down  with  ejaculations  of 
Tcuhela  (ill,  i.e.  you  are  ill). 

The  legal  arguments  finished,  if  the  plaintiff  wins 
the  question  of  compensation  arises.  There  is  a  re- 
cognised scale  of  payments  for  most  offences  ;  in  other 
cases  the  one  side  offers  a  single  goat,  the  other  will 
not  take  less  than  twenty,  and  several  days  may  be 
taken  up  with  this  discussion ;  in  the  rare  event  of 
no  agreement  being  reached  the  contending  villages 
go  to  war. 

If  a  goat  is  stolen  portions  of  its  flesh  are  distri- 
buted to  the  allied  villages ;  if  war  results  they,  as 
partakers  of  the  guilt,  will  support  the  village  of  the 
original  thief.  Meat  is,  it  is  true,  at  a  premium  in 
this  part  of  the  country ;  but  the  distribution  of  the 
flesh  is  not,  strictly  speaking,  a  means  of  purchasing 
the  support  of  allies,  though  the  latter  would  be 
angry  at  being  deprived  of  their  share,  and  would 
refuse  to  take  up  arms  in  aid  of  the  thief. 

In  the  Bambala  country  a  prominent  chief  often 
unites  a  number  of  villages  in  a  bond  against  blood- 
shed. If  a  murder  is  committed  in  a  village  belonging 
to  the  bond  each  of  the  other  villages  demands  kama- 
Tcumi,  and  holds  its  separate  milonga.  Each  village 
has  a  right  to  compensation  for  the  death  ;  and,  if  the 
murderer  cannot  pay  the  full  amount,  the  responsi- 
bility falls  upon  the  chief,  or,  which  is  the  same 
thing,  upon  the  village.  The  murderer  is  usually 
ruined,  but  it  seldom  happens  that  the  village  cannot 
liquidate  the  debt.    If  their  assets  are  not  sufiicient 

73 


A  BOND  AGAINST  BLOODSHED 

the  original  offender,  his  nephews  and  nieces,  his 
brothers  and  other  relatives  are  liable  to  be  handed 
over  to  the  individual  creditor,  and  retained  by  him 
as  long  as  the  debt  remains.  These  bondsmen  are 
virtually  slaves,  but  the  creditor  may  not  sell  them 
as  he  may  ordinary  slaves.  They  are,  however,  re- 
tained, not  so  much  for  the  sake  of  the  work  which 
can  be  got  out  of  them,  as  in  order  to  increase  the 
importance  of  the  creditor.  The  release  of  the  bonds- 
man at  the  earliest  possible  moment  is  a  matter  of 
honour,  and  each  member  of  the  bondsman's  village 
feels  himself  equally  bound  to  aim  at  his  or  her  re- 
lease. Slaves  may,  of  course,  be  given  in  payment 
of  debt,  and  in  this  case  there  is  a  simple  transfer  of 
property  in  the  person,  just  as  in  any  ordinary  case 
of  sale  of  a  slave ;  the  value  of  a  slave  appears  to  be 
about  the  same  as  the  amount  of  debt  for  which  the 
bondsman  stands. 

Soon  after  my  efforts  at  arbitration  I  was  in- 
formed by  the  captain  of  the  Marie  that  I  was  to  be 
honoured  with  a  visit  from  a  distinguished  personage, 
a  very  great  man  indeed.  He  was  coming  down  by 
the  next  steamer,  I  was  informed,  so  some  four  and 
twenty  hours  before  I  began  my  preparatiotis.  I  took 
out  my  gun  and  brought  down  a  couple  of  birds. 
Then  I  went  into  my  kitchen,  and  with  my  own  hands 
I  prepared  various  dainty  cakes,  knowing  full  well 
how  much  a  European  who  has  been  deprived  of  his 
ordinary  fare  appreciates  such  luxuries.  In  due  time 
the  steamer  arrived.  Two  exceedingly  Teutonic  look- 
ing gentlemen  stood  on  the  deck.    One  of  them  was 

74 


A  DISTINGUISHED  GUEST 

as  fully  armed  as  Tweedledum  and  Tweedledee ;  his 
cartridges  filled  at  least  four  pockets  and  his  waist- 
belt,  and  his  armoury  consisted  of  a  revolver  and  a 
gun,  with  other  weapons  in  the  background,  I  went 
on  board  and  invited  him  and  his  companion  to  lunch. 
After  consulting  two  watches,  he  deigned  to  accept 
my  invitation.  We  went  up  to  the  house  and  found 
that  the  cakes  and  other  hors  d'oeuvres  were  ready. 
Before  we  began  our  meal  a  man  of  the  village  came 
up  to  me,  and  begged  me  to  reassure  the  foreigners 
he  and  his  fellow-villagers  really  had  no  bad  inten- 
tions, and  it  was  quite  safe  to  lay  aside  all  the 
paraphernalia  of  war.  Fortunately  my  visitor  did 
not  understand. 

My  refreshments  were  greatly  appreciated  by  my 
guests,  especially  as  they  had,  according  to  their  own 
account,  just  quitted  a  land  where  snakes  and  monkey 
were  the  only  food  obtainable.  They  had,  in  fact, 
just  come  from  Michakila,  where  ordinary  mortals 
find  abundant  supplies  of  goats,  fowls,  and  pigs. 

They  inquired  how  long  I  had  been  in  Africa,  to 
which  I  replied  by  saying  I  had  been  in  Kongo  about 
a  month.  The  martial  gentleman  was  good  enough 
to  give  me  some  advice  as  to  the  rules  which  it  was 
necessary  to  observe  if  I  wished  to  enjoy  good  health, 
as  he  had  spent  fully  four  months  in  the  Congo.  I 
accepted  his  suggestions  with  gratitude  and  humility. 
It  was  only  after  a  flow  of  words,  uninterrupted  for  ten 
minutes,  that  the  captain  remarked  that  I  had  spent 
more  years  in  the  Congo  than  my  nestor  had  spent 
months,  and  that  possibly  I  already  had  some  know- 

75 


A  DISTINGUISHED  GUEST 

ledge  of  the  questions  on  which  he  was  laying  down 
the  law. 

Years  later  I  read  a  book,  published  by  the  very 
same  traveller,  in  which  he  described  how  he  had 
fired  a  village,  how  he  had  tried  a  new  rifle  on  the 
inhabitants,  and  how  he  had  flogged  a  woman  who 
had  displeased  his  servant.  Later  still  I  learned  that 
he  had  gone,  on  pretence  of  scientific  research,  into 
an  English  colony,  and  had  there  robbed  the  natives 
of  their  most  sacred  relics.  Well,  perhaps  it  was 
better  for  him  and  for  me  that  I  did  not  know  then 
his  real  character ;  there  might  have  been  trouble  in 
store  for  both  of  us. 

What  is  to  be  deplored  most  with  people  of  this 
kind  is  that  they  bring  undeserved  discredit  on  their 
profession  and  on  their  country,  and  I  needs  must 
state  that  he  was  not  a  typical  scientist. 


76 


CHAPTER  IV 


The  Bambala  people — Bodily  ornamentation — Indigenous  food-stuffs — Can- 
nibal practices — Palm-wine — Snuff-taking — Women  and  agriculture — 
Native  industries. 

A FEW  days  after  this  I  left  for  Kolokoto,  on 
the  west  of  the  Kwilu,  distant  a  good  five 
hours'  march  from  Kongo.  The  ground  rises  im- 
perceptibly nearly  all  the  way,  as  is  obvious  from 
the  increasing  depth  of  the  brooks  below  the  general 
level  of  the  ground,  but  just  before  Kolokoto  the 
plateau  ends  abruptly  with  a  drop  of  some  800  feet. 
At  a  distance  of  about  one  hour's  march  from  Kongo 
I  entered  the  Bambala  country,  and  the  change 
in  the  character  of  the  inhabitants  left  no  doubt 
where  the  dividing  line  ran.  The  population  on 
the  banks  of  the  Kwilu  and  for  some  twenty  miles 
is  exceedingly  dense,  so  much  so,  in  fact,  that  in  a 
single  day  it  would  be  possible  to  recruit  thousands 
of  hands  for  work  as  carriers  or  anything  else ;  this 
portion  of  the  area  is  called  Kamba ;  the  south-west, 
which  is  known  as  Mokunji,  is  far  less  densely 
populated,  and  in  the  north  of  Kolokoto  there  is, 
first,  a  settlement  of  Basongo,  and  beyond  them  an 
important  tract  inhabited  by  Bayanzi,  the  latter 
being  known  as  Banyana ;  these  areas  are  likewise 
very  densely  populated.    The  Bambala  told  me  that 

77 


THE  BAMBALA  PEOPLE 

they  had  purchased  the  region  of  Kamba  from  the 
Banyanzi  in  remote  times,  which  probably  means 
some  sixty  or  seventy  years  back. 

The  Bambala  migrated  from  the  southern  Kwengo 
less  than  a  century  ago,  driven  thence  by  the  Balua, 
who  were  themselves  expelled  from  their  original  seats 
by  the  Kioko  (Bajoke,  Chibokwe).  The  first  mention 
of  their  existence  is  found  in  the  writings  of  the 
eminent  English  traveller,  Andrew  Battell,  who  heard 
of  them  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

In  colour  the  Bambala  are  very  dark  brown,  the 
hair  is  absolutely  black,  and  the  eye  a  greenish  black 
with  a  yellow  cornea.  The  face  is  not  of  the  ordinary 
negro  type,  but  much  more  refined  ;  thick  lips,  for 
example,  are  quite  exceptional,  and  only  a  small 
proportion  have  flat  noses.  The  northern  Bambala 
are  strongly  built  and  tall,  but  as  we  proceed  south- 
w^ards,  with  increasing  scarcity  of  food  comes  a 
slighter  type,  which  also  seems  to  be  lighter  in  colour. 
The  hands  and  feet  are  small,  and,  like  those  of  all 
coloured  people,  yellow  on  the  palms  and  soles ;  they 
pick  up  objects  with  their  feet  with  great  dexterity. 

In  the  north  the  women  are  not  very  good-looking, 
but  farther  to  the  south,  where  the  males  approxi- 
mate to  a  feminine  type,  there  are  real  beauties 
among  the  softer  sex. 

Both  sexes  wear  practically  the  same  dress — a 
strip  of  palm-cloth  (kipussu),  of  its  natural  colour, 
about  a  yard  in  length  and  half  a  yard  in  width, 
worn  round  the  waist  in  front  and  falling  to  the 
middle  of  the  hips  behind.    Sometimes  a  girdle  of 

78 


THE  BAMBALA  PEOPLE 

similar  cloth  is  added  or  a  roll  of  grass  coloured  with 
red  clay,  and  the  women,  like  many  other  Bantu 
tribes,  wear  a  string  of  beads  under  their  cloth. 
Men  wear  skin  aprons  occasionally  on  which  the  hair 
is  left.  The  garments  are  sewn  with  native-made 
needles  (iron)  and  thread  of  palm  fibre. 

The  head  is  partially  shaved,  and  the  bare  portion 
is  painted  with  soot  and  palm-oil ;  hair  is  allowed  to 
grow  on  the  top  of  the  head  in  the  form  of  a  cap,  and 
in  old  age  a  piece  of  palm-cloth,  dyed  red,  may  be 
added  to  cover  a  bald  head  or  white  hairs ;  as  a 
special  decoration  a  man  who  has  slain  a  great  enemy 
wraps  the  bones  of  his  fingers,  &c.,  in  a  cloth  and 
wears  them  on  his  head ;  this  is  called  pungu,  and 
magical  virtue  is  ascribed  to  it. 

There  is  another  fashion  of  hairdressing  which 
consists  in  leaving  the  hair  at  the  back  of  the  head 
only  and  making  it  up  into  tresses  with  soot  and 
palm-oil.  The  beard  too  comes  in  for  adornment ;  it 
is  often  fairly  long,  but  it  is  bound  up  under  the  chin, 
and  pieces  of  clay  are  hidden  in  the  knot  to  make  its 
bulk  larger.  The  eyebrows  are  usually  shaved,  so  is 
the  moustache. 

Numerous  ornaments  are  in  use,  but  though  the 
ears  are  pierced  earrings  do  not  seem  to  be  worn ; 
combs,  made  of  wooden  teeth  bound  together,  serve 
the  double  purpose  of  adorning  the  wearer  and  pro- 
viding a  means  of  conveniently  scratching  the  head. 
Brass  bracelets  are  imported  from  Europe  in  great 
numbers,  and  men  sometimes  wear  iron  bracelets 
made  in  the  country ;  a  finely  made  iron  bracelet  is 

79 


BODILY  ORNAMENTATION 

also  worn  by  a  caste  called  Muri,  to  be  described 
later.  Imported  rings  are  worn  not  only  upon  the 
fingers,  but  upon  the  great  toe,  and  beads  are  also 
worn  by  both  sexes. 

Certain  forms  of  ornament  are  reserved  for  men ; 
these  include  teeth,  human,  leopard,  or  ape,  the 
leopard  teeth  being  usually  imitation  ;  small  antelope 
horns  are  worn  round  the  neck,  and  these  too  are 
imitated  in  tin. 

Tattooing  proper  is  rare,  for  the  colour  of  the  skin 
will  not  allow  the  pattern  to  appear  to  advantage  ; 
all  that  is  done  is  to  make  a  quadrilateral  on  the  arm 
with  three  or  four  needles ;  the  pigment  is  decayed 
rubber.  Ornamental  scars  are  more  elaborate ;  they 
are  made  about  the  age  of  puberty,  and  rise  above 
the  surface  of  the  skin  owing  to  artificial  retardation 
of  the  healing  process.  Men  have  a  line  running 
over  the  forehead  from  the  outside  corner  of  the 
eyes,  and  a  line  across  the  chest,  more  or  less  straight, 
about  one  inch  broad  and  often  more  than  an  inch 
above  the  adjacent  skin ;  a  lozenge  pattern  decorates 
the  navel.  The  lozenge  pattern  is  also  usual  with 
women,  who  decorate  both  arms  and  body  in  this  way. 

In  addition  the  body  is  painted  red,  and  as  tuhula 
wood,  imported  for  the  purpose  from  the  Kasai,  is  too 
expensive,  clay  is  used  by  the  Bambala  beaux  and 
belles,  who  admit  that  the  practice  is  intended  to 
increase  their  beauty.  In  the  case  of  mourners,  the 
object  being  different,  soot  is  used  by  the  men  and 
brown  clay  by  the  women. 

The  ordinary  food  consists  of  manioc  flour  made 

80 


Ornamental  Head-gear 


In  Europe  we  associate  head-gear  with  the  idea  of  protection  from  the  sun  (at  any  rate  as  far  a<; 
men  are  concerned),  but  in  Africa  it  is  purely  ornamental.  A  Mobunda  does  not  think  himself 
presentable  without  what  he  calls  a  hat  ;  this  will  consist  of  bunches  of  feathers,  a  wreath  of  leaves, 
or  a  small  wooden  carving;  any  object  that  he  thinks  may  contribute  to  his  beauty;  as  for  protec- 
tion he  relies  on  the  thick  mass  of  woolly  hair  with  which  nature  has  provided  him. 


INDIGENOUS  FOOD-STUFFS 

into  a  paste  with  water  and  boiled.  The  leaves  of 
the  plant  are  also  eaten  prepared  with  palm-oil  and 
pepper.  Animal  food  is  not  limited  to  goats,  pigs, 
and  other  domestic  small  fry,  for,  frogs  excepted, 
everything  helps  to  make  a  stew,  from  ants  and  grass- 
hoppers upwards  to  man.  Human  flesh  is,  of  course, 
a  special  delicacy,  and  its  use  is  forbidden  to  women, 
though  they  do  not  disdain  to  indulge  secretly.  Other 
tit-bits  are  a  thick  white  worm  found  in  palm-trees, 
locusts,  rats,  and  blood  boiled  with  cassava  flour. 
Human  flesh  is  not  the  only  food  forbidden  to  women  ; 
they  may  not  eat  goat's  flesh,  hawks,  vultures,  small 
birds,  snakes,  animals  hunted  with  weapons,  crows,  or 
parrots  ;  to  the  rule  against  flesh  killed  with  weapons 
there  are  two  exceptions — the  antelope  and  a  small 
rat. 

Rich  people,  who  can  indulge  in  luxuries,  eat  kola 
nuts  in  great  numbers ;  a  kind  of  native  pepper  is 
known  ;  oil  is  obtained  from  the  palm-nut,  rarely  from 
the  ground-nut.  But  the  chief  condiment  is  salt, 
which  is  made  of  the  ashes  of  water  plants ;  there  is, 
however,  a  strong  preference  for  the  imported  salt, 
which  is  in  crystalline  form  as  a  rule ;  the  crystals 
are  perforated  and  strung  on  a  string  which  is  dipped 
into  the  food -pot.  On  a  journey  salt  is  eaten  as  a 
stimulant  and  salt  water  is  also  drunk.  Earth-eating 
is  by  no  means  uncommon,  and  it  is  said  to  be  good 
for  stomach-ache  ;  the  earth  in  use  has  an  astringent 
taste. 

Manioc  is  prepared  in  a  round  pot.  First  of  all 
the  pot  is  filled  half  full  of  water,  then  a  single 

81  p 


NATIVE  COOKERY 

handful  of  flour  is  thrown  in  and  the  pot  is  put  on  the 
fire ;  as  soon  as  the  water  boils  as  much  more  flour  is 
added  as  is  needed  to  take  up  the  water,  and  the 
whole  is  vigorously  stirred  with  a  wooden  spoon  for 
some  three  minutes,  then  patted  on  the  top  with  the 
spoon  two  or  three  times  and  turned  out ;  the  result 
is  a  round  mass  of  pudding  of  the  consistency  of 
blanc-mange.  The  ordinary  way  of  eating  it  is  to 
take  a  pinch  out  with  the  fingers,  dip  it  in  a  little 
fat,  and  pop  it  into  the  mouth  to  be  swallowed 
without  chewing. 

As  regards  animal  food,  if  there  is  abundance  it  is 
simply  boiled ;  they  eat  it  with  their  fingers,  taking  a 
small  piece  of  meat,  chew  it  and  swallow  it,  and  then 
a  larger  piece  of  manioc ;  it  must  be  remembered  that 
meat  is  for  them  simply  a  bonbon,  much  as  chocolates 
are  for  us.  Once  I  killed  an  elephant,  which  they 
were  at  liberty  to  consume,  blood,  skin,  and  bones,  if 
they  pleased ;  after  they  had  eaten  as  much  as  they 
wanted  they  came  and  asked  for  their  dinner. 

If  there  is  not  much  animal  food  for  the  company 
it  is  prepared  in  a  dififerent  way.  The  first  thing  is  to 
clarify  palm-oil ;  it  is  put  on  the  fire  in  a  pot,  looking 
much  like  a  mass  of  soft  soap ;  when  the  oil  begins  to 
boil  it  is  precipitated  into  cold  water,  the  impurities 
go  to  the  bottom,  and  the  clarified  product  is  a  trans- 
parent liquid  like  water.  To  this  a  large  quantity  of 
cayenne  pepper  is  added  and  the  fowl  or  other  meat 
boiled  four  hours ;  after  the  oil  has  got  cool  the  meal 
commences.  They  dip  their  fingers  into  the  pot, 
taking  a  fragment  of  meat,  which  is,  of  course,  very 

82 


ANIMAL  FOOD 

soft,  and  eat  it  with  manioc.  Men  will  cook  meat  for 
themselves  on  the  march,  but  manioc  is  always  prcr 
pared  by  women ;  even  when  I  wanted  some  for  my 
own  consumption  my  cook  would  not  prepare  it ;  a 
woman  had  to  be  engaged  in  the  village  where  we 
were. 

Goats  and  pigs  are  slaughtered  by  being  clubbed, 
so  as  not  to  lose  the  blood ;  but  the  former  are  also 
skinned  alive  and  die  under  the  knife,  which  is  of  iron, 
home-made,  and  as  sharp  as  a  razor.  They  have  a 
curious  way  of  killing  fowls ;  they  take  one  by  the 
neck,  whirl  it  several  times  round  the  head,  and  finally 
the  body  flies  off,  leaving  the  head  in  the  hand  of  the 
executioner.  The  poultry  are  in  a  semi-savage  state, 
and  a  fowl  hunt  affords  fine  sport  for  the  youth  of  the 
villages,  who  pursue  the  creature  with  sticks  and 
stones  till  it  is  exhausted. 

Cannibalism  is  an  everyday  occurrence,  and  ac- 
cording to  the  natives  themselves,  who  display  no 
reticence  except  in  the  presence  of  state  ofiicials,  it  is 
based  on  a  sincere  liking  for  human  flesh.  Enemies 
killed  in  war  and  people  buried  alive  after  the  poison 
test,  or  dying  as  a  result  of  it,  i.e.  criminals,  are  eaten  ; 
so,  too,  are  slaves,  and  further  north  and  near  the 
river  the  latter  are  killed  on  rare  occasions  to  provide 
a  cannibal  feast.  In  the  latter  case  the  body  may  be 
buried  for  a  couple  of  days  and  a  fire  kept  burning 
over  the  grave ;  the  flesh  is  consumed  in  the  ordinary 
way  with  manioc  flour.  Criminals'  bodies  are  treated 
in  the  same  way,  but  the  corpses  of  enemies  are  cut 
up  and  eaten  within  five  minutes  in  some  cases.  I 

83 


CANNIBAL  PRACTICES 

have  never  been  able  to  trace  any  magical  or  religious 
basis  for  any  of  these  customs. 

Vessels  in  which  misuni  (human  flesh)  has  been 
cooked  are  broken  and  thrown  away,  and  this  rather 
suggests  some  magical  idea,  but  they  say  that  the 
custom  is  only  adopted  to  prevent  women  or  other 
prohibited  persons  from  using  the  pot  subsequently. 
On  the  other  hand,  this  prohibition  to  use  the  pot 
subsequently  suggests  that  there  was  in  the  past 
some  idea  of  possible  magical  effects,  though  women 
are  at  the  present  day  debarred  from  human  flesh,  as 
they  are  from  goat's  flesh,  only  in  order  that  there 
may  be  a  larger  supply  for  the  men.  And  this  sup- 
position is  borne  out  by  the  fact  that  a  class  of  men 
called  muri  are  debarred  from  using  human  flesh,  as 
well  by  the  practice  of  cannibalism  as  in  connection 
with  the  pact  against  bloodshed. 

There  is  only  one  way  of  abolishing  cannibalism 
in  these  countries,  and  that  is  not  by  making  laws 
against  it.  On  one  occasion  I  gave  one  of  my  boys  a 
tin  of  sardines,  telling  him  to  divide  it  equally  between 
them.  With  tears  in  his  eyes  he  said  that  it  was 
impossible ;  he  could  not  eat  sardines,  for  the  cook 
had  given  him  a  kissi  (medicine)  to  prevent  him,  and 
he  would  die  if  he  ate  them.  I  put  him  at  his  ease  by 
giving  him  a  stronger  kissi  from  Europe,  and  to  see 
him  dispose  of  those  sardines  was  a  real  joy. 

To  wean  the  Bambala  and  other  tribes  from  canni- 
balism it  is  necessary  to  give  them  a  kissi,  which  will 
prevent  them  from  eating  human  flesh  under  penalty 
of  death  if  they  disobey.    I  have  not  the  slightest 

84 


PALM-WINE 


doubt  that  if  some  one  in  whom  they  had  confidence 
adopted  this  means  they  would  give  up  eating  human 
flesh  once  and  for  all. 

Water  is  the  commonest  drink,  and  in  the  village 
cups  are  used  for  drinking  purposes ;  but  on  a  march 
the  water  is  thrown  into  the  mouth  with  the  hand ; 
they  lie  down  on  their  stomachs  and,  bending  the 
fingers,  scoop  up  the  water  without  spilling  a  drop, 
though  the  hand  never  touches  the  mouth  in  the 
process. 

The  so-called  palm- wine  is,  of  course,  preferred, 
but  the  trees  are  private  property  and  the  wine 
must  be  paid  for.  To  climb  the  tree  the  operator 
takes  a  vine  sling,  passes  it  round  the  tree,  and 
fastens  the  two  ends  together  with  a  stick,  so  that  a 
circular  cord  is  formed  ;  then  planting  his  foot  against 
the  tree  he  walks  up,  jerking  the  loop  upward  as  he 
goes  till  the  top  is  reached.  With  an  adze-shaped 
knife  a  cut  is  made  just  below  the  crown,  a  leaf 
arranged  as  a  funnel  draining  into  a  pot  fastened  to 
the  tree,  and  the  climber  descends.  The  wine  is  a 
milky  liquid,  tasting  like  coco-milk  with  a  few  drops 
of  lemon-juice ;  it  begins  to  ferment  after  an  hour, 
and  is  an  intoxicating  liquor  after  six  hours,  but  at 
first  it  is  absolutely  innocuous.  The  morning  juice  is 
the  best  and  freshest,  and  after  that  the  evening,  but 
some  people  are  never  tired  of  tapping  their  trees. 

Tobacco  is  grown  in  large  quantities,  and  the  care 
of  the  plantations  is  the  work  of  the  men ;  the  plants 
are  always  actually  within  the  village,  and  after  the 
beginning  of  the  rainy  season,  when  the  seed  is  put 

85 


SNUFF-TAKING 

in  the  ground,  the  owner  of  the  tobacco  garden  is 
often  to  be  seen  weeding  his  plot  or  making  little  leaf 
shelters  to  cover  the  small  plants.  In  seven  months 
the  plants  are  mature  and  the  leaves  are  plucked  and 
dried  ;  when  they  are  to  be  used  as  snuff  quick  drying 
is  essential,  and  then  they  are  put  over  embers ;  then 
they  are  ground  in  mills,  or  rather  mortars,  in  which 
a  pestle  with  a  long  pointed  handle  is  turned  round. 
Of  the  women  the  young  ones  alone  indulge  in  snuff- 
taking  ;  all  men  take  it,  and  the  upper  lip  is  thick 
with  it,  so  that  they  seem  to  have  a  green  moustache, 
and,  as  in  olden  days  in  Europe,  it  is  common  for 
acquaintances  to  offer  each  other  snuff,  which  is  carried 
in  goat's  horn  boxes,  or  sometimes  in  a  banana  leaf. 
To  be  good  snuff  must  be  strong,  and  Europeans  who 
inhale  native  snuff  find  it  too  much  for  them  ;  for  the 
black  man  does  not  inhale  but  merely  rubs  it  on 
his  nose. 

Tobacco  for  smoking  is  dried  in  the  shade ;  the 
leaf  is  simply  crushed  in  the  hand  and  then  put  in  the 
pipe  with  a  large  piece  of  glowing  wood ;  the  smoke 
is  inhaled,  but  not  in  the  European  way ;  the  pipe  is 
handed  round,  and  each  man  gives  a  couple  of  pre- 
liminary puffs  to  strengthen  the  glow  and  then  draws 
the  smoke  directly  into  the  lungs,  instead  of  first 
filling  the  cavity  of  the  mouth  as  we  do.  Three 
patterns  of  pipe  are  in  use  :  firstly,  kinzu,  of  European 
form  but  native  origin ;  secondly,  motoho,  a  gourd 
pipe  ;  and  thirdly,  fangu,  a  bamboo  pipe,  all  with 
pottery  bowls.  The  gourd  is  partly  filled  with  water, 
the  bowl  inserted  in  a  hole  in  the  top,  and  the  mouth 

86 


The  Norihern  Bambala 

Although  t)ie  traveller  may  at  first  be  prejudiced  against  these  people  because  of  their  well-known 
cannibalistic  propensities,  he  will  soon  tind  out  that  they  are  very  pleasant  on  the  whole.  When 
kindly  treated  they  are  the  most  devoted  servants  one  can  imagine. 


A  European  Settlement 

The  newly  formed  European  settlement  is  quite  a  feature  in  the  Congo  landscape  ;  it  is  mostly 
situated  near  the  river,  and  consists  of  clay  houses  built  in  a  clearing  of  the  forest.  Usually  every- 
thing is  made  of  local  material,  and  the  big  companies  have  travelling  carpenters,  who  go  from 
place  to  place  to  make  the  necessary  furniture.  Old  worn-out  dug-outs  furnish  the  best  wood  for 
this  purpose. 


WOMEN  AND  AGEICULTURE 

applied  to  the  place  where  the  stalk  of  the  gourd  has 
been.  In  the  bamboo  stem  the  pottery  bowl  is  in- 
serted about  one-third  of  the  distance  from  the  end. 
If  men  are  on  the  road  and  have  no  pipe  they  roll  a 
banana  leaf  into  a  cone  and  smoke  the  tobacco  placed 
in  it. 

For  ordinary  purposes  the  gardens  cultivated  by 
the  women  are  outside  the  village  in  a  clearing  of  the 
forest,  the  rough  work  being  done  by  the  men  before 
the  beginning  of  the  rains.  At  this  time  of  year  it  is 
impossible  to  get  labourers. 

As  soon  as  the  rains  begin  the  women  plant  the 
seed  of  haricots,  the  kernels  of  ground  nuts,  branches 
of  sweet  potatoes  and  manioc,  and  young  plants  of 
bananas  and  plantains ;  the  latter  are  formed  by  the 
roots  of  the  old  plants,  which  send  up  hundreds  of 
suckers. 

Big  trees  are  burned  down  by  the  men  in  the 
process  of  clearing,  small  trees  are  cut  down  and  the 
roots  and  stumps  burned  ;  the  branches  of  big  trees  are 
cut  away  and  the  trunks  allowed  to  lie  on  the  ground, 
and  remain  sometimes  for  many  years,  the  cultivation 
taking  place  between  the  trunks.  The  woman's  only 
implement  is  the  hoe,  a  triangular  tanged  piece  of 
iron  with  a  wooden  handle,  worth  about  three  fowls. 
Fresh  ground  is  broken  yearly,  and  all  the  produce 
belongs  to  the  head  of  the  family.  Theoretically  the 
owner  of  the  land  can  control  it,  but  practically  every 
man  takes  his  plot  where  he  pleases,  and  as  there  is 
room  enough  no  quarrels  arise  as  to  the  allocation  of 
the  ground.     As  a  guard  against  thieves,  simple 

87 


NATIVE  INDUSTKIES 

charms  such  as  egg-shells,  a  piece  of  bone,  or  a  broken 
pot  are  placed  in  the  field.  These  charms  are  pre- 
pared by  rubbing  them  with  magical  earth,  which  is 
usually  inherited,  but  may  be  bought  from  the 
magician  if  the  stock  is  exhausted. 

In  addition  to  agriculture  women  are  charged  with 
the  making  of  pots,  which  they  say  they  learnt  from 
the  Bahuana.  No  wheel  is  in  use,  but  the  pot  is  built 
up  from  a  base  and  turned  round  and  round  on  some 
old  vessel  which  serves  as  a  stand.  The  ordinary  pot 
varies  in  diameter  from  five  to  sixteen  inches ;  the 
edge  is  flared,  and  below  it  are  incised  bands  of 
parallel  horizontal  lines.  After  a  long  process  of  sun- 
drying  the  pots  are  put  into  the  fire  and  remain 
there  many  hours. 

Weaving  and  basketry  are  the  work  of  men,  and 
they  say  that  the  latter  was  learnt  from  the  Banyanzi. 
The  ordinary  basket  is  circular  on  a  quadrangular 
wooden  base ;  it  has  a  closely  fitting  basket-work 
cover.  Small  baskets  are  used  as  purses  for  the 
shell  money,  and  triangular  baskets  are  used  to  carry 
food.  They  are  sometimes  waterproofed  by  a  thin 
covering  of  mixed  wood  and  clay.  Palm  cloth  is 
made  of  the  cuticle  of  the  leaf  of  the  Raflia  palm ;  it 
is  pulled  off  when  the  leaves  are  young,  in  long  strips, 
which  are  dried  in  the  sun.  Examples  of  the  loom 
may  be  seen  in  the  British  Museum. 

Ironworking  is,  of  course,  the  business  of  the  men  ; 
the  ore  is  found  everywhere  in  great  abundance,  and 
small  ingots  are  used  as  currency.  The  smelting 
furnaces  are  like  those  of  the  Bahuana,  and  the  only 

88 


NATIVE  INDUSTRIES 

other  process  which  the  metal  usually  undergoes  is 
hammering.  The  soft  iron  knives  require  sharpening 
every  five  minutes,  but  when  the  edge  is  on  they  cut 
through  rubber — which  no  steel  knife  can  touch — in  a 
moment.  For  firemaking  implements  the  iron  is 
wrapped  in  certain  herbs,  the  identity  of  which  is 
carefully  concealed,  heated  to  a  high  temperature, 
and  thrown  into  cold  water. 

The  tools  of  a  smith  consist  of  a  double  bellows 
like  those  of  the  Baluba,  a  T-shaped  anvil,  and  a 
hammer  with  a  pointed  handle ;  these  latter  it  is 
impossible  to  obtain,  for  death  is  the  lot  of  the  smith 
who  parts  with  his  tools.  The  sister's  son  of  a  smith 
learns  his  trade  from  him  and  inherits  his  tools  at 
his  death. 

The  houses  are  also  built  by  the  men  ;  they  are 
rectangular,  about  six  feet  by  fifteen,  and  6  feet  high. 
Stakes  are  driven  into  the  ground  some  6  inches  from 
each  other ;  over  these  grass  is  bound,  and  the  whole 
receives  a  covering  of  palm-leaf  ribs  bound  tightly 
together,  and  over  this  grass  is  again  bound.  In  the 
centre  of  the  short  side  is  a  long  stake  which  takes 
the  ridge  poles,  and  poles  parallel  to  it  run  at  intervals 
along  the  slope  down  to  the  eaves  pole.  The  roof  is 
completed  by  interweaving  palm  ribs  in  the  ordinary 
way.  The  only  opening  is  four  feet  above  the  ground, 
and  is  fitted  with  a  rectangular  door  of  palm-leaf  ribs 
which  slides  between  the  wall  and  two  stakes.  Above 
the  doorway  are  fetishes. 

Two  steps,  composed  of  forked  stakes  with  cross- 
pieces,  lead  up  to  the  door.    There  is  no  special  place 

89 


NATIVE  HOUSES 

for  the  fire,  and  the  smoke  escapes  by  the  door.  There 
are  two  compartments,  one  for  adults,  another  at  the 
back  for  small  children.  The  bed  is  made  of  stakes 
and  matting,  and  along  one  of  the  walls  runs  a  palm- 
rib  shelf,  the  outer  edge  hung  from  the  roof  by  two 
strings,  the  inner  attached  to  the  wall.  Weapons  are 
hung  on  the  walls  from  pegs.  Houses  usually  face 
more  or  less  north  and  south.  Each  village  has 
a  bachelors'  hut,  which  is  also  the  guest  house. 
Granaries  are  built  by  the  rich  ;  they  are  on  piles  and 
are  circular,  with  a  diameter  of  1 8  inches. 


90 


CHAPTER  V 


Trade  and  currency — Slave  dealing — Laws  of  inheritance — Marriage  and 
divorce — Commercial  customs — Mourning  observances — Ghost  stories — 
Superstition — Tribal  vpar. 

AMONG  the  Bambala  everyone  is  a  dealer  in  live 
-^^^  stock,  which  he  sells  for  rubber ;  this  he  sells 
again  to  Europeans  for  salt ;  the  salt  is  exchanged  for 
slaves,  the  slaves  sold  for  djimhu,  and  more  goats  or 
other  live  stock  purchased  in  the  country  where  they 
abound.  In  this  export  trade  men  alone  are  engaged  ; 
in  the  home  trade — in  food  and  pottery — women  have 
in  like  manner  a  monopoly.  The  natural  preference 
of  chiefs  and  important  men  is  for  trade,  but  they 
do  not  regard  labour  as  smiths  or  basket-makers  as 
derogatory. 

The  djimbu,  which  serve  as  currency,  are  small 
shells  {Olivella  nana)  from  the  Portuguese  coast ; 
one  female  slave  =  15,000  to  20,000  djimbu;  one 
slave  =10,000  djimbu;  100  djimbu  will  purchase  one 
fowl  or  one  big  iron  block  or  12  ounces  of  salt ;  an  iron 
hoe  blade  is  worth  300  djimbu. 

The  profits  made  are  enormous  ;  8000  djimbu  will 
purchase  ten  goats,  for  which  250  balls  of  rubber  are 
obtained  ;  these  are  worth  ten  stone  of  salt,  for  which 
two  slaves  can  be  purchased  ;  and  the  two  slaves  will 
fetch  20,000  djimbu.  These  operations  take  about 
a  month,  and  the  gross  profit  is  150  per  cent.  The 

91 


TRADE  AND  CURRENCY 

trader  as  a  rule  goes  in  person  and  takes  his  own 
food  ;  he  spends  nothing  on  clothes,  and  the  question 
of  shoe  leather  does  not  trouble  him  ;  he  may  spend  a 
few  djimbu  on  palm-wine,  but  there  are  practically  no 
deductions  from  the  gross  profit,  except  for  losses  by 
death  of  stock  or  by  robbery. 

In  Kolokoto  100  djimbu  are  worth  2d.  or  Sd.  ;  in 
Luanu  they  may  rise  to  a  premium  of  100  per  cent.  ;  on 
the  Lukula  they  fell  to  a  value  of  l^d.  Taking  the 
mean  value,  a  man  with  a  capital  of  £1  makes  £18  per 
annum,  even  if  he  does  not  add  to  his  capital ;  if  he 
chose  to  put  all  his  profits  into  his  business,  he  would 
at  the  end  of  a  few  years  be  a  rich  man,  but,  of  course, 
long  before  attaining  to  such  a  fortune  he  would  be 
suppressed  by  jealous  neighbours  or  highwaymen ; 
furthermore,  the  nature  of  their  trade  does  not  admit 
of  unlimited  extension.  Credit  is  a  well  recognised 
thing,  not  only  from  one  market  day  to  another,  but 
for  longer  periods,  and  to  people  residing  at  con- 
siderable distances.  Interest  amounts,  as  a  rule,  to 
some  400  per  cent,  per  annum. 

A  debtor  remains  with  the  creditor  as  a  hostage 
till  his  family  or  the  village  succeed  in  paying  ofi"  the 
amount ;  but  if  it  is  not  forthcoming  he  becomes  the 
personal  slave,  or  rather  bondsman,  of  the  creditor, 
but  he  cannot  be  sold.  Slave  children,  wives,  and 
other  property  of  the  debtor  may  be  seized,  but  as  a 
rule  the  debtor's  chief  steps  in  and  lends  him  money  ; 
it  often  happens  that  the  greater  number  of  the 
inhabitants  of  a  village  are  in  the  chief's  power, 
because  they  owe  him  money  in  this  way.    If  a 

92 


SLAVE  DEALING 

debtor  dies  his  brother  becomes  hable  for  his  debt, 
although  the  sister's  son  is  the  heir  in  the  event  of  a 
man  leaving  property.  Non-payment  of  debt  may 
result  in  war,  and  the  traders  of  the  same  tribe  are 
seized  and  often  killed ;  but  this  does  not  extinguish 
the  debt;  it  is  simply  a  means  of  jogging  the  debtor's 
memory. 

Besides  the  bondsmen  who  lose  their  freedom 
through  debt,  there  are  real  slaves  who  are  born  into 
that  position  or  have  been  captured  in  war ;  these 
may  be  sold  and  in  theory  put  to  death  by  their 
owner ;  but  as  bloodshed  is  forbidden,  this  power  is 
merely  nominal.  Slaves  are  exceedingly  well  treated, 
and  are  more  like  the  children  of  their  owner  than 
anything  else  ;  they  do  not  work  harder  than  freemen  ; 
they  can  possess  property  and  even  other  slaves,  and 
this  property  cannot  be  dealt  with  by  their  owner  at 
will ;  on  the  other  hand,  if  they  are  without  means 
their  owner  is  responsible  for  their  debts.  When  a 
man  buys  a  new  slave  he  decks  him  out  on  the  first 
day  in  all  his  ornaments  and  best  clothes  and  walks 
him  round  the  village  to  show  him  off. 

As  we  have  seen  above,  anyone  can  plant  where  he 
will ;  but  over  and  above  the  right  to  cultivate  crops 
there  is  the  right  of  shooting  game  and  collecting 
rubber.  The  ownership  of  these  is  practically  com- 
munal ;  a  man  will  not  object  to  a  man  of  the 
same  village  dealing  with  either  the  game  or  the 
rubber  plants  of  his  own  chief,  while  he  will  strongly 
resent  the  intrusion  of  men  of  another  village.  The 
rights  over  shooting  and  rubber  are  purchased  by  the 

93 


LAWS  OF  INHERITANCE 

respective  villages.  As  regards  plantations  the  matter 
is  somewhat  different ;  an  alien  may  plant  where  he 
will,  but  does  not  care  to  run  the  risk  involved  in 
having  his  crops  near  a  strange  village. 

In  the  ordinary  way  game  can  be  hunted  any- 
where by  strangers  and  villagers  alike,  but  the  great 
hunt  where  the  grass  is  burnt  is  the  privilege  of  the 
latter.  Ponds  and  lakes  are  owned  by  villages,  but 
there  is  no  property  in  running  water. 

The  eldest  son  of  the  eldest  sister  is  the  heir, 
failing  him  the  second  son,  and  so  on  ;  failing  sister's 
sons  the  eldest  brother  succeeds ;  widows  cannot 
inherit.  Wills  are  unknown,  but  of  course  property 
can  be  given  away  during  life ;  the  maternal  uncle 
acts  as  guardian  to  the  children.  There  are  two 
kinds  of  marriage — by  betrothal  in  childhood  and 
by  purchase.  In  the  first  case  a  boy,  perhaps  not 
more  than  six  or  seven  years  of  age,  declares  that  a 
certain  little  girl,  three  years  old  or  less,  is  his  wife ; 
she  might,  of  course,  be  older,  but  it  seldom  happens 
that  there  are  unbetrothed  maidens  of  more  than 
three  years  of  age.  The  prospective  son-in-law  visits 
the  parents  and  takes  them  small  presents  ;  and  after 
seven  or  eight  years  claims  his  bride,  giving  a  larger 
present  of  some  2000  djinibu.  If,  however,  the  girl 
is  unwilling  she  cannot  be  coerced ;  but  before  she  can 
marry  another,  the  original  bridegroom  must  have 
his  feelings  soothed  by  a  present  of  several  thousand 
djimbu. 

When  an  adult  woman  is  married  she  is  simply 
purchased,  the  cost  being  10,000  to  15,000  djimbu. 

94 


MARRIAGE  AND  DIVORCE 

If  the  woman  dies  the  money  is  not  refunded,  and 
the  husband  may  even  be  forced  to  undergo  the 
poison  ordeal. 

The  position  of  the  children  of  a  marriage  varies 
according  as  the  mother  has  been  purchased  or 
betrothed.  In  the  latter  case  they  belong  to  the 
maternal  uncle,  and  the  purchase  price  of  the  girls 
goes  to  him.  The  children  of  the  purchased  wife,  on 
the  other  hand,  belong  to  the  father,  but  the  maternal 
uncle  is  still  their  guardian  after  the  father's  death. 
A  slave  woman  cannot  become  a  wife  by  betrothal, 
she  must  be  purchased ;  but  as  soon  as  she  becomes  a 
mother  she  steps  into  the  position  of  a  regular  wife. 

Polygyny  is  common,  but  all  wives  have  equal 
rights.  As  a  rule  wives  follow  their  husbands,  but 
a  man  not  infrequently  takes  up  his  abode  in  the 
village  of  his  father-in-law.  Each  married  woman  has 
her  own  hut,  which  is  shared  by  her  small  children 
up  to  the  age  of  seven  or  eight ;  after  this,  if  they  are 
the  children  of  a  betrothed  wife,  they  may  go  to  the 
maternal  uncle.  As  long  as  children  remain  with  the 
father  he  is  supreme,  but  after  marriage  the  father-in- 
law  is  more  important,  and  a  man  may  even  side  with 
his  father-in-law  against  his  own  village. 

A  man  may  divorce  his  wife  at  will,  but  as  she 
represents  money  he  seldom  does  so,  save  for  adultery, 
but  the  divorced  wife  does  not  regain  her  freedom,  as 
her  admirers  are  liable  to  pay  fines  to  the  husband ; 
practically  divorce  is  no  more  than  judicial  separation. 
Women  can  only  escape  by  running  away  to  another 
tribe,  and  they  run  the  risk  of  being  eaten  when  they 

95 


COMMERCIAL  CUSTOMS 

arrive.  If  they  escape  this  fate  they  are  sold  as  slaves, 
and  may  be  purchased  by  their  former  husbands. 
Widows  can  be  claimed  by  the  brother  of  the 
deceased ;  but  if  they  are  free  women  they  may 
return  to  their  parents  and  marry  again  if  not  thus 
claimed. 

The  Bambala  tribe  is  a  congeries  of  village  com- 
munities each  under  its  own  chief,  or  fumu,  who  holds 
the  position  by  virtue  of  his  wealth,  and  is  succeeded 
by  the  next  richest.  His  chief  function  is  to  act  as 
money-lender  to  his  subjects.  No  tribute  is  paid  to 
the  fumu,  but  he  has  a  right  to  the  ribs  of  every 
human  being  killed  for  food,  and  to  the  hind  legs  of 
each  animal  killed  during  the  great  hunts.  If  a  chief 
is  young  enough  he  acts  as  leader  in  war,  otherwise 
one  of  his  sons  takes  his  place.  Intermediate  between 
the  chief  and  the  ordinary  freeman  is  an  hereditary 
class  called  muri,  who  may  not  eat  human  flesh  nor 
yet  the  meat  of  fowls.  They  are  distinguished  by  an 
iron  bracelet  and  a  special  head-covering  of  cloth, 
which  may  not  be  removed  by  any  one  under  penalty 
of  death,  even  if  the  wrongdoer  did  not  intend  to 
touch  it.  The  bracelet  passes  at  death  to  the  nephew 
(sister's  son),  who  succeeds  to  the  dignity,  and  he  must 
steal  the  skull  of  his  uncle.  The  corpse  is  buried  for 
some  two  months,  then  the  skull  is  exhumed,  painted 
red,  and  placed  in  the  house  its  owner  used  to  occupy  ; 
the  nephew  must  gain  possession  of  it  at  night  with- 
out being  observed,  and  after  hiding  it  for  a  few  days 
in  the  bush,  take  it  home  to  his  hut.  If  a  muri  is 
Ifilled  in  w^-r,  his  bracelet  is  sent  home,  but  the  skull 

96 


THE  POISON  ORDEAL 

has  to  be  stolen  as  before  from  the  hostile  village. 
The  chief  privilege  of  the  muri  is  the  right  to  a 
portion  of  each  animal  killed  in  hunting. 

In  disputes  between  different  villages  recourse  is 
had  to  the  palaver  which  has  already  been  described. 
Where  two  people  of  the  same  village  are  concerned, 
the  poison  {jputu)  ordeal  plays  the  part  of  judge. 
Whether  a  man  is  accused  of  witchcraft,  parricide, 
or  of  some  minor  offence  he  declares  himself  willing 
to  take  poison  to  prove  his  innocence.  The  putu, 
which  is  the  bark  of  ErythrophlcBum  guiniense,  is 
usually  ground  fine  and  mixed  to  a  thick  paste,  from 
which  are  made  five  small  loaves,  and  these  are 
administered  one  after  the  other  to  the  defendant ; 
during  the  next  fifteen  minutes,  if  it  is  a  case  of 
witchcraft,  the  bystanders  call  on  Moloki  (the  evil 
principle)  to  come  out.  The  poison  usually  acts  very 
quickly ;  it  may  kill  the  accused  or  cause  purging  or 
vomiting ;  the  latter  alone  is  regarded  as  a  proof  of 
innocence.  In  the  second  case  the  prisoner  is  compelled 
to  dig  a  hole ;  he  is  then  given  a  fowl  to  eat  and 
enough  palm-wine  to  make  him  quite  intoxicated ; 
after  this  he  is  laid  in  the  hole,  or  possibly  goes  and 
lays  himself  down,  and  is  then  buried  alive  in  order 
to  prevent  Moloki  escaping  with  his  last  breath.  A 
large  fire  is  kept  alight  on  the  grave  for  two  days  and 
then  the  body  is  exhumed  and  eaten.  An  innocent 
man  is  carried  round  the  village  decorated  with  beads, 
and  his  accuser  pays  a  pig  as  compensation  for  the 
false  charge. 

After  a  death  from  natural  causes  women  lament 

97  G 


MOURNING  OBSERVANCES 

for  several  days  and  guns  are  fired  to  keep  ofip  MoloTd. 
The  body  is  at  first  deserted  by  everyone,  but  later  it 
is  laid  out  painted  with  white  clay,  exposed  for  several 
days,  and  finally  wrapped  in  cloths  and  buried  with 
the  feet  to  the  east.  The  funeral  is  attended  by  near 
relations  and  idlers  generally ;  a  goat  is  killed  and 
half  of  it  buried,  the  rest  being  eaten.  Pots  are 
broken  on  the  grave  and  a  semicircular  hut  is  set  up 
over  it. 

During  the  mourning  which  follows  the  village  is 
deserted,  and  the  inhabitants  sleep  for  a  time  in  the 
open ;  the  hair  is  allowed  to  grow  and  cut  only  when 
parasites  accumulate  to  an  intolerable  extent ;  women 
and  men  paint  themselves  as  mentioned  above. 

After  death  the  soul  is  supposed  to  wander  about, 
and,  if  the  grave  is  neglected  it  disturbs  and  may  even 
cause  the  death  of  its  relatives.  Otherwise  it  takes 
the  form  of  an  animal ;  if  a  chief,  of  a  large  beast,  but 
it  may  also  wander  about  in  the  air. 

Many  ghost  stories  are  told  by  the  Bambala,  some 
of  which  follow. 

I  had  a  friend  named  Molime,  a  man  with  many 
fetishes,  well  known  as  a  great  wood-carver  through- 
out the  country ;  many  of  the  objects  in  the  British 
Museum  are  by  him,  and  I  hope  one  day  to  get  more 
specimens  of  his  handiwork.  Some  years  ago  he  died, 
and  preparations  were  made  for  the  funeral,  but  on 
the  second  morning  he  sat  up  and  called  for  bread  and 
palm-wine.  The  people  assured  him  that  he  was  dead 
and  could  not  eat,  but  he  threatened  to  kill  them,  so 
they  brought  what  he  wanted.    Then  he  disappeared 

98 


GHOST  STORIES 


and  entered  the  body  of  an  elephant,  but  two  months 
later  the  animal  was  killed  and  Molime  on  the  self- 
same day  reappeared  in  the  village  and  lives  there  to 
this  day.  Since  his  assumed  death  he  is  the  owner  of 
a  Jcissi,  which  is  supposed  to  make  anyone  on  whom  it 
is  sprinkled  invisible.  When  the  village  is  at  war  he 
and  his  whole  family  disappear  in  this  way,  and,  unseen 
by  the  enemy,  he  kills  many  of  them.  One  day  the 
village  was  burnt  down,  and  Molime,  with  the  aid  of 
his  kissi,  disappeared  under  the  ground  till  the  fire 
was  over.  I  have  the  greatest  respect  for  his  clever- 
ness. 

My  friend  Muimbi  has  somewhat  similar  powers, 
for  when  he  was  captured  by  the  village  of  Kolokoto 
he  took  some  of  his  Jcissi,  disappeared  under  the 
ground,  to  reappear  some  800  yards  away,  and  when 
the  men  of  Kolokoto  still  kept  up  the  pursuit  he  took 
the  form  of  a  rat,  ran  down  a  hole,  and  never  came  up 
till  he  got  to  his  own  village. 

An  inhabitant  of  Songo  named  Mokwach  died  in 
the  fields  some  time  ago,  and  his  body  was  partly 
eaten  by  ants  when  he  was  found.  They  took  him  to 
the  village,  but  when  he  was  laid  in  his  grave  he 
moved  and  sat  up  and  told  the  mourners  that  his 
brother  had  come  to  him  and  said,  "  I  am  dead  and 
you  are  dead  ;  who  will  look  after  our  wives  ? "  So  he 
had  decided  to  come  back  and  live  to  a  good  old  age. 
Thereupon  the  people  made  him  many  presents,  and 
he  is  still  in  the  land  of  the  living,  much  respected  by 
all.  When  Mohumbo  of  Kolokoto  died  the  moon  was 
nearly  full ;  he  passed  away  at  noon,  and  when  evening 

99 


SUPERSTITION 

came  all  the  people  could  see  him  sitting  in  the  sky 
with  his  pipe  in  his  mouth  and  looking  at  the  moon. 
He  was  recognised  by  everyone,  and  they  even  heard 
him  say,  "  Wakwa,  ivakwa." 

The  men  who  are  reputed  to  have  come  back  from 
the  dead  enjoyed  much  respect,  but  they  were  not  held 
to  be  magicians,  though  they  possessed  powerful  kissi, 
for  every  family  has  a  store  of  this,  which  has  been 
inherited.  Magicians  vary  much  in  importance,  and 
their  prices  in  direct  ratio.  A  noted  practitioner  may 
ask  1000  djimbu  for  a  piece  of  minor  magic,  three  or 
four  times  as  much  for  an  important  piece  of  work. 
Mwana  N'Gombe  enjoys  the  greatest  reputation  among 
the  Bambala,  and  he  has  three  great  talismans — 
a  mwena  {MuH)  bracelet,  an  axe  also  called  rnwena, 
and  a  head-dress  in  which  certain  magical  compounds 
are  kept ;  it  is  ornamented  with  cowries,  and  he  may 
not  look  at  himself  in  a  mirror,  much  less  see  the 
head-dress  with  the  naked  eye. 

The  ordinary  name  for  things  of  magical  power  is 
hissi,  but  I  have  heard  kiluba  used  in  apparently  the 
same  sense.  The  magical  image  receives  its  power 
from  the  kissi  applied  by  the  magician,  which  is 
composed  of  clay  or  earth  inherited  from  his  maternal 
uncle.  The  family  kissi  may  be  used  to  make  a  line 
on  the  arm  of  a  debtor  which  may  not  be  removed  till 
the  debt  is  paid,  and  is  believed  to  bring  bad  luck  to 
the  debtor. 

For  hunting  the  Bambala  use  bows  and  arrows. 
The  former  are  of  maple  with  a  hollow  back ;  the 
latter  have  one  or  more  points  of  wood  hardened  in 

100 


TRIBAL  WAR 

the  fire  for  small  game  ;  for  bigger  animals  war  arrows 
with  iron  heads  are  used.  Dogs  are  employed  and  are 
oftener  cleverer  than  their  masters  ;  a  wooden  rattle 
like  a  hawk  bell  is  hung  between  their  hind  legs  when 
game  is  being  driven.  When  a  man  kills  a  bird  he 
tries  to  sneak  away  without  being  observed  so  that  he 
may  consume  his  booty  single-handed  or  rather  single- 
mouthed. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  war — Kutana  and  Gembi. 
For  the  former  an  arena  is  cleared  by  burning  the 
grass,  but  if  anyone  is  killed  in  the  encounter  the 
great  war,  gembi,  ensues,  and  then  fighting  goes  on 
whenever  the  enemies  come  face  to  face.  No  quarter 
is  given  to  the  wounded,  and  every  form  of  treachery 
is  employed.  In  the  kutana  the  warriors  are  armed 
only  with  bows  and  arrows  and  march  in  single  file  to 
the  appointed  spot ;  after  shouting  insults  at  each 
other  for  a  time  they  begin  to  shoot  and  sometimes 
attempt  enveloping  movements.  They  are  dexterous 
in  avoiding  arrows,  and  as  a  rule  there  is  little  damage 
done. 

If  prisoners  are  taken  they  are  secured  with  the 
taka  or  slave  fork  round  the  neck,  and  may  be  further 
fettered  by  having  one  hand  fastened  in  the  kolombi, 
a  large  log  with  a  hole  in  it. 


101 


CHAPTER  VI 


A  notorious  rascal — An  invalaable  asset — Accomnlating  evidence — A  bar- 
barous custom — An  exacting  guest — Veiled  hostility — Foul  play — A 
young  hopeful. 

KOLOKOTO  is  a  small  village  and  does  not 
possess  more  than  one  hundred  inhabitants  all 
told.  Its  chief,  Kikungulu,  is  a  wealthy  man,  who, 
at  the  death  of  his  father  some  ten  years  ago,  quitted 
his  birthplace  and  founded  his  present  abode ;  he 
and  his  brother,  Matanda,  are  the  chief  personages 
of  the  district  and  take  the  lead  in  all  important 
movements.  He  is  a  man  of  some  forty  years  of 
age,  tall  and  ill-favoured,  his  features  being  ren- 
dered still  more  repulsive  by  numerous  open  sores. 
He  is  hated  throughout  the  country,  but  is  credited 
with  a  great  knowledge  of  magic  and  feared  accord- 
ingly. He  it  is  who,  as  a  rule,  administers  the 
putu  poison  in  the  ordeal  for  witchcraft,  and  he 
has  upon  his  head  the  blood  of  innumerable  victims. 
To  give  an  idea  of  his  character,  I  may  say  that 
during  my  absence  in  the  South  he  administered 
putu  to  his  sister,  an  amiable  and  wealthy  dame  of 
about  his  own  age,  less  because  he  believed  she 
was  a  witch  than  for  the  sake  of  getting  hold  of 
her  money.  Even  his  own  children  held  him  in 
abhorrence,  and  one  day  one  of  his  sons,  of  the 

102 


AN  INVALUABLE  ASSET 

tender  age  of  six,  came  to  me  with  a  request  for 
European  medicine  with  which  to  poison  his  father. 

As  soon  as  I  got  to  Kolokoto  I  pursued  my 
inquiries  after  a  servant,  for  I  had  so  far  only  one. 
Among  the  children  playing  about  in  the  village 
I  remarked  a  little  boy  about  eight  years  old,  who 
seemed  to  be  exceptionally  intelligent,  and  when  I 
asked  him  if  he  would  like  to  be  my  servant  he 
said  he  would  like  it  very  much,  but  that  he  was  a 
bondsman,  and  if  he  took  service  with  me  without 
the  leave  of  Kikungulu  he  was  afraid  the  latter 
would  poison  him.  I  went  to  the  chief  and  dis- 
cussed the  matter  with  him,  and  when  he  saw  that 
I  was  anxious  to  get  the  boy  as  my  servant  he 
made  all  kinds  of  objections,  and  stated  that  Meyey 
was  a  hostage  for  a  large  amount.  He  generously 
offered  to  dispose  of  his  person  if  I  would  under- 
take to  pay  the  debt  in  question,  plus  interest  at 
the  rate  of  several  hundred  per  cent.  In  order  to 
settle  the  matter  I  made  an  offer  of  a  gfood  ieal  less 
than  he  demanded  and  the  bargain  was  struck, 

Meyey  was  rather  small  for  his  age,  and  his  head 
was  remarkable  for  its  extraordinary  length.  He 
took  up  his  duties  at  once,  and  for  the  two  years 
he  stayed  with  me  I  never  had  a  single  cause  of 
complaint  against  him.  It  is  true  I  once  boxed 
his  ears ;  that,  however,  had  nothing  to  do  with 
the  way  in  which  he  performed  his  duties,  but  was 
in  his  own  interest,  as  I  caught  him  learning 
gambling  from  the  Bayaka.  It  will  perhaps  appear 
incredible  to  the  European  who  does  not  know  the 

103 


ACCUMULATING  EVIDENCE 

real  African,  but  this  boy  for  two  years  carried  my 
keys  and  had  access  to  all  my  property  without 
once  being  guilty  of  the  pettiest  theft ;  he  never 
told  me  a  lie,  and  he  was  given  to  speaking  his 
mind  on  every  subject,  regardless  of  the  effect  on 
the  hearer,  without  fear ;  in  fact  the  more  un- 
pleasant the  home  truth  which  he  brought  out  the 
fiercer  he  looked. 

His  value  to  me  in  my  ethnographical  investi- 
gations it  is  impossible  to  overestimate.  The  native 
often  refuses  information,  and  in  such  cases  I  always 
explained  to  Meyey  the  point  at  issue,  and  left 
him  to  get  at  the  facts.  He  often  said  nothing  to 
me  about  it  for  days,  but  carried  on  his  inquiries 
systematically  till  he  was  able  to  give  me  the  infor- 
mation required.  When  I  brought  up  the  questions 
before  the  natives  in  order  to  verify  the  informa- 
tion thus  obtained,  I  found  that  he  had  never 
failed  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  them. 

In  this  connection  I  may  point  out  that  it  is 
fatal  to  put  leading  questions ;  inquiry  on  this 
basis  is  foredoomed  to  failure.  If  Meyey  had  de- 
scribed the  burial  customs  of  the  Bambala  to  me, 
I  sat  down  at  the  camp  fire  in  the  evening  and 
besran  to  chat  about  what  I  had  heard  from  other 
tribes.  I  usually  brought  in  the  remark  that  the 
Bayanzi  asserted  of  my  hearers  that  they  buried 
their  dead  sitting.  If  I  had  put  the  question  to 
them  directly,  they  would  certainly  have  assured 
me  that  they  did  do  so ;  but  when  it  came  to 
them  as  an   affirmation  of  a   neighbouring  tribe 

104 


3 


Types  of  Natives 


4 


(1)  Moyanzi  youth  with  highly  raised  scars,  tribal  marks  on  the  cheeks. 

(2)  The  Bakwese  are  essentially  a  tribe  of  warriors  and  this  is  visible  in  every  detail  ol  their 
appearance.  They  are  never  found  without  having  at  least  a  knife  sticking  in  the  bands  they 
wear  as  ornaments  round  their  arms  ;  they  are  always  ready  to  use  this  too.  Their  dress  and  hair- 
dress  is  similar  to  those  of  the  Southern  Bambala,  but  they  are  less  careful  about  their  appearance 
and  do  not  attach  such  great  importance  to  it. 

(3  and  4)  The  hair-dress  of  the  Northern  Bambala  differs  considerably  from  that  of  their  Southern 
neighbours  ;  when  freshly  arranged  it  looks  like  a  "  toque."  The  Southern  Bambala  let  their  hair  grow 
to  a  considerable  length,  removing  only  three  or  five  longitudinal  lines  with  the  razor.  The  remaining 
hair  is  plaited  into  ridges,  and  to  give  it  an  appearance  of  greater  length,  palm  fibres  are  frequently 
plaited  into  the  ends.    Small  nails  with  gilt  tops  are  stuck  into  the  ridges. 


A  BARBAROUS  CUSTOM 

they  at  once  set  to  work  to  correct  the  false  im- 
pression, and  if  any  one  gave  me  erroneous  infor- 
mation his  fellows  quickly  put  him  right.  The 
thing  to  do  is  to  provoke  a  discussion  amongst  the 
natives ;  in  this  way  alone  can  reliable  evidence 
be  accumulated. 

Early  one  morning  I  was  disturbed  by  the  firing 
of  guns  in  the  village,  so  I  called  Meyey  and  in- 
quired what  was  happening.  He  informed  me  that 
some  one  was  to  be  buried ;  I  expressed  my  as- 
tonishment that  I  should  not  have  heard  of  the 
death  of  anyone  in  the  village,  and  inquired  who 
had  shuffled  off  this  mortal  coil.  He  replied  that 
no  one  was  dead,  and  when  I  asked  him  who  was 
to  be  buried,  he  said  "  A  man  called  Mokasa." 
"Where  did  he  die?"  I  asked.  "But  he  isn't 
dead,"  insisted  Meyey.  "  You  don't  mean  to  say 
that  they  are  going  to  bury  him  alive,"  said  I  laugh- 
ingly, thinking  there  was  some  misunderstanding, 
"  Certainly,"  said  Meyey,  "  he  will  be  buried  alive  : 
Kikungulu  gave  him  putu  (poison)  yesterday,  and 
proved  that  he  had  molohi  (witchcraft)  in  him." 
I  asked  him  quite  coolly  where  the  ceremony  was 
to  take  place.  He  showed  me  a  place  about  a 
hundred  yards  from  my  camp,  and  there  through 
the  bush  I  could  distinguish  a  big  crowd.  I  hurried 
to  the  spot,  made  my  way  to  the  centre  of  the 
crowd,  and  there  I  saw  a  good-looking  grey-beard 
seated  near  the  hole  which  was  to  be  his  grave. 
He  was  eating  and  drinking,  and  near  him  stood 
Kikungulu.     I  stepped  up  to  the  latter  and  in- 

105 


A  BARBAROUS  CUSTOM 

quired  whether  it  was  true  he  was  going  to  bury 
the  man  alive.  When  he  said  he  certainly  would 
do  so,  I  clutched  him  by  the  neck  and  assured 
him  that  I  would  throttle  him  unless  he  handed 
over  his  prisoner.  The  crowd,  already  excited  by 
the  approaching  event,  began  to  grow  aggressive, 
and  it  was  only  the  fact  that  I  held  Kikungulu  by 
the  throat  in  a  grip  beneath  which  he  was  gradually 
growing  grey,  that  prevented  them  from  attacking 
me  en  masse.  I  freely  confess  that  I  was  not  alto- 
gether happy,  and  it  was  by  no  means  unpleasing 
to  me  to  see  Meyey  push  his  way  through  to  me, 
my  rifle  in  his  hand.  At  last  Kikungulu  made  signs 
that  he  yielded  me  his  prisoner,  and  I  released  my 
hold.  What  was  my  surprise  to  find  that  the  man 
for  whom  I  had  engaged  on  this  somewhat  des- 
perate enterprise  was  absolutely  passive ;  his  pulse 
was  normal,  and  he  seemed  to  regard  it  as  quite 
an  ordinary  thing  that  he  should  descend  into  the 
grave  alive.  Amid  the  hoots  of  the  crowd,  however, 
I  marched  him  ofi"  and  gave  him  his  quarters  in 
my  camp,  in  the  hope  of  securing  him  against 
further  attempts. 

After  taking  the  precaution  of  administering  an 
emetic  to  my  protege,  in  case  there  was  still  poison 
in  his  system,  I  got  him  to  tell  me  his  story.  He 
said  he  was  the  chief  of  a  village  to  the  south- 
east of  Kolokoto,  where  he  had  many  wives  and 
abundance  of  slaves,  goats,  and  all  kinds  of  wealth. 
His  nephew,  who,  of  course,  according  to  African 
law,  was  his  natural  successor  and  heir,  with  an 

106 


AN  EXACTING  GUEST 

eye  to  all  these  good  things,  had  accused  him  of 
having  caused  the  death  of  one  of  his  children. 
Mokasa,  strong  in  his  innocence,  denied  the  charge, 
but  Mwana-N'Gombe,  the  great  diviner  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood, was  called,  and  when  he  confirmed  the 
accusation  nothing  remained  for  the  accused  but  to 
submit  himself  to  the  poison  ordeal.  To  this  end 
he  came  to  the  village  of  Kolokoto ;  on  the  previous 
evening  he  had  taken  the  poison,  been  declared 
guilty,  and  in  consequence  nearly  suffered  the 
penalty  of  the  law,  when  I  intervened.  He  assured 
me  that  he  was  innocent  and  that  the  poison  had 
been  adulterated  to  produce  an  appearance  of  guilt ; 
and  to  prove  his  innocence  he  asked  me  to  give  him 
putu  for  the  second  time,  convinced  as  he  was  that 
it  could  do  him  no  harm  if  the  ordeal  were  honestly 
carried  out. 

It  was  no  easy  matter  to  reconcile  my  men  to 
Mokasa's  presence  in  my  camp ;  they  objected  in  the 
strongest  possible  terms  to  my  keeping  molohi  in 
their  midst,  and  it  was  in  vain  that  Meyey  appealed 
to  them  to  say  whether  I  had  ever  told  them  a  lie, 
or  been  mistaken.  A  further  difficulty  arose  when 
it  came  to  providing  my  guest  with  food ;  Mokasa 
was  assured  that  if  he  took  it  from  anyone  in  the 
village  he  would  be  poisoned ;  therefore  I  had  to 
provide  him  with  rice  from  my  own  private  store ; 
and  when  I  had  a  fowl  for  him  it  was  handed  over 
alive  to  prevent  any  mishap. 

My  guest  proved  somewhat  exacting ;  so  far  from 
being  content  to  be  in  safety,  he  grumbled  at  being 

107 


DEATH  OF  MOKASA 

obliged  to  do  his  work  with  his  own  hands,  after 
having  been  a  great  chief  and  had  numberless  slaves. 
I  should  have  been  quite  prepared  to  hire  for  him 
a  body  servant,  as  he  desired,  but  unfortunately 
none  of  my  boys  was  prepared  to  accept  the  posi- 
tion. My  life  after  this  adventure  was  unpleasantly 
diversified.  Not  only  did  all  my  boys,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Meyey  and  Bokala,  desert  me,  but  I  was 
unable  to  go  any  distance  from  my  camp  without 
finding  a  few  arrows  whizzing  about  my  ears.  After 
a  few  days  I  found  Mokasa  strolling  about  outside 
the  camp ;  I  remonstrated  with  him  and  pointed  out 
what  risks  he  ran,  but  he  only  laughed  and  said  no 
harm  would  come  of  it,  and  that  besides  he  was 
tired  of  being  cooped  up  all  day.  When  I  got 
back  to  the  camp  who  should  I  find  there  but  the 
nephew  to  whose  machinations  the  whole  affair  was 
due.  He  had  come  to  demand  hami-kumi  of  me 
for  having  prevented  his  uncle  from  being  killed. 
I  did  not  comply  with  his  demand,  for  it  would 
have  been  an  acknowledgment  of  having  acted 
wrongly. 

Mokasa  extended  his  trips  outside  the  camp 
every  day,  and  at  last,  ten  or  twelve  days  after 
his  rescue,  he  went  out  and  never  came  back.  I 
made  inquiries  in  all  directions  without  result,  and 
his  fate  remained  a  mystery  till  four  days  later 
Meyey  informed  me  that  he  had  strayed  too  far  and 
been  clubbed  to  death  by  people  from  the  village. 
From  that  day  on  I  was  no  more  molested  so  long 
as  I  remained  in  the  neighbourhood,  but  the  attitude 

108 


VEILED  HOSTILITY 

of  the  natives  was  one  of  veiled  hostility.  I  had 
interfered  with  their  customs  and  they  could  not 
forgive  me  for  it.  On  the  whole  I  am  not  prepared 
to  say  that  they  were  wrong.  Certain  it  is  that 
anyone  who  three  hundred  years  ago  had  ventured 
to  interfere  with  the  burning  of  a  witch  in  Europe 
would  have  suffered  far  more  severely  than  I  did, 
even  if  he  were  not  charged  with  the  same  offence 
and  put  to  death  with  the  original  victim. 

At  this  time  I  was  already  fluent  in  the  Kim- 
bala  language,  and  could  thus  try  to  restore  our 
old  friendly  relations  by  chats  with  anyone  I  hap- 
pened to  meet ;  I  began  with  the  women  and 
children.  After  I  had  made  some  progress,  Kikun- 
gulu  went  so  far  as  to  favour  me  with  a  visit,  and 
brought  with  him  one  of  his  sons,  six  years  of  age, 
whom  he  offered  me  as  a  servant,  saying  that  he 
wished  him  to  be  employed  in  the  kitchen  so  that 
he  might  learn  cooking  and  be  thus  available  later 
for  the  entertainment  of  white  visitors.  I  was  only 
too  happy  to  make  peace,  and  I  accepted  his  generous 
peace-offering.  I  never  succeeded  in  learning  the 
name  of  this  boy,  for  he  spoke  exceedingly  quickly, 
and  all  that  I  could  understand  of  his  name  when 
he  pronounced  it  was  "  Mrm,"  so  by  this  name  he 
was  ever  afterwards  known. 

Things  went  on  quietly  for  a  few  days  after  this, 
and  then  happened  an  incident  to  which  I  attached 
no  importance  at  the  time,  but  which  afterwards 
turned  out  to  have  been  a  serious  attempt  on  my 
life.    One  morning  my  coffee  tasted  curiously  bitter, 

109 


FOUL  PLAY 


so  I  summoned  the  cook,  but  he  denied  all  know- 
ledge of  exceptional  ingredients,  and  was  ready  to 
put  his  assertions  to  the  proof  by  drinking  the  whole 
cupful.  Some  two  hours  afterwards  he  was  attacked 
by  severe  griping  pains,  and  came  to  me  howling 
with  pain,  which  I  relieved  by  an  emetic.  An  hour 
or  two  later  I  myself  was  attacked  by  the  same 
symptoms,  and  relieved  them  in  the  same  way  ;  still 
I  did  not  suspect  any  foul  play.  It  was  not  till  some 
months  later,  on  my  return  from  the  south,  that  I 
learnt  from  the  people  of  the  village  that  the  affair 
was  an  attempt  on  my  life.  "Mrm,"  incited  by  his 
father,  had  put  poison  in  my  coffee,  and  my  escape 
was  at  least  a  narrow  one.  There  was  not  the 
slightest  doubt  as  to  the  correctness  of  the  informa- 
tion, for  on  the  very  day  on  which  my  servant  and 
I  were  taken  ill  "Mrm"  disappeared  without  leaving 
a  trace  behind. 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  all  my  boys  but 
two  had  deserted  me.  Soon  after  the  poison  incident 
I  engaged  a  new  servant.  Hearing  the  piteous  bleat- 
ing of  a  goat  in  the  bush  I  made  my  way  to  the 
spot  to  see  what  was  happening,  and  found  a  youth 
engaged  in  skinning  the  animal  which,  from  refine- 
ment or  inadvertence,  he  had  omitted  to  kill.  I  told 
him  how  extremely  cruel  it  was,  but  my  anger  did 
not  lead  me  to  launch  more  than  winged  words  at 
him,  and  they  seemed  to  make  but  little  impression. 
A  few  days  later  I  was  surprised  to  see  this  pro- 
mising youth  in  my  camp,  and  still  more  so  to  learn 
from  him  that  his  object  in  coming  was  to  enter  my 

110 


A  YOUNG  HOPEFUL 

service.  When  I  asked  him  what  led  to  this  idea, 
he  replied,  "  Oh,  the  other  day  you  know  you  were 
very  angry  with  me,  and,  nevertheless,  you  did  not 
hit  me ;  you're  the  man  for  me  ;  I  want  a  master 
who  will  treat  me  well."  This  interesting  young 
man,  whose  age  was  at  most  eight  years,  stayed  with 
me  for  some  twelve  months ;  his  disposition  was 
lively ;  he  had  the  greatest  possible  capacity  for 
mischief,  and  he  was  always  ready  to  apply  himself  to 
a  job  which  there  was  no  possibility  of  his  accomplish- 
ing ;  for  ordinary  work  he  was  not  of  the  slightest 
use,  for  he  displayed  no  such  enthusiasm  for  it.  If 
I  had  suggested  to  him  to  go  and  lead  a  wild 
elephant  into  the  camp  by  its  trunk,  he  would  have 
set  out  full  of  confidence  in  his  ultimate  success ; 
but  if  he  was  required  to  do  no  more  than  bring  a 
bucket  of  water  from  the  brook,  he  would  set  out 
reluctantly,  and  come  back  without  the  water,  having 
forgotten  his  errand,  and  perhaps  the  bucket  too 
before  he  arrived  at  the  water-course. 

His  morals  were,  I  regret  to  say,  not  of  the 
highest ;  he  was  continually  marrying  fresh  wives, 
who  were  perhaps  six  to  eight  years  old,  being  beaten 
by  them  and  then  repudiating  them.  But  not  con- 
tent with  this  he  extended  his  field  of  operations 
to  all  the  married  women  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact.  He  received  many  a  box  on  the  ear  as  a 
reward  from  the  ofiended  women ;  in  revenge  he 
made  his  way  into  the  fowl-house  of  the  scornful 
fair  one  and  inflicted  capital  punishment  on  as  many 
chickens  as  he  could  lay  hands  on.    Needless  to  say, 

111 


A  YOUNG  HOPEFUL 

I  was  far  from  anxious  to  retain  him  in  my  service  ; 
but  though  I  frequently  dismissed  him  he  never 
accepted  notice  ;  he  at  any  rate  knew  when  he  had  got 
a  good  master.  He  was  finally  got  rid  of  by  being 
deported  on  a  steamer  to  his  own  village  as  the 
sequel  of  an  experiment  with  a  small  rodent  which 
he  caught.  He  attached  straw  and  other  inflam- 
mable material  to  it,  set  fire  to  it,  and  let  it  loose 
in  the  bush.  Now,  to  put  fire  to  a  village  bush  is 
a  serious  offence  in  Africa,  perhaps  the  greatest 
injury  which  can  be  inflicted  on  a  village,  so  nothing 
remained  but  to  repatriate  him.  It  was  only  after  I 
had  sent  him  away  that  I  discovered  how  fond  I 
had  really  been  of  Kalala  (for  this  was  the  name 
of  the  young  rascal),  but  to  do  justice  to  his  witticisms 
and  joviality  he  must  have  a  volume  to  himself. 
Here  we  must  take  our  leave  of  him  for  the  present. 


112 


CHAPTER  VII 


A  trader's  difficulties — Problems  of  GovemrDent — In  the  desert — Types  of  the 
Interior — Scarcity  of  food — A  breach  of  trust — Native  courtesy — Naive 
sophistry. 

WHEN  my  stay  in  Kolokoto  had  lasted  about 
two  months  I  began  to  make  preparations 
for  my  journey  into  the  southern  country.  But  it 
was  by  no  means  all  plain  sailing,  for  the  quarrel 
with  the  villagers  did  not  make  them  any  the  more 
ready  to  offer  their  services ;  and  the  district  into 
which  I  was  going  had  the  reputation  of  being  poor 
country,  where  food  was  chiefly  conspicuous  by  its 
scarcity.  While  the  preparations  for  my  journey 
were  going  on,  a  negro  was  sent  to  me  by  a  European 
some  distance  away ;  the  man,  a  Motetela,  was 
brought  in,  bound  hand  and  foot,  by  a  guard  of 
natives,  with  the  request  that  I  would  forward  him 
to  the  nearest  magistrate  (at  Leopoldville !)  for  trial. 
It  appeared  that  he  had  been  among  the  servants 
of  this  European,  and  that  during  that  time  his 
wife  had  died ;  although  the  Batetela  have  no  idea 
of  moloki,  in  the  sense  of  the  Bambala,  he  had 
adopted  the  idea,  and  attributed  her  death  to  the 
evil  influence  of  a  young  girl,  upon  whom  he  took 
his  revenge  by  waylaying  her  one  evening  and  kill- 
ing her  with  his  knife.  Then  he  made  his  escape 
into  the  bush ;  as  soon  as  his  crime  was  discovered 

113  H 


A  TRADER'S  DIFFICULTIES 

hue  and  cry  was  raised  after  him,  the  Batetela 
joining  in  the  pursuit  and  finally  catching  the  culprit. 
Although  he  was  a  man  of  their  own  blood  and 
the  victim  was  an  alien  woman,  the  Batetela  would 
have  lynched  him  but  for  the  interference  of  the 
European ;  the  latter  rescued  the  man,  sent  him  for 
trial,  as  mentioned  above,  and  paid  compensation  to 
the  murdered  girl's  village  in  order  to  prevent  any 
disturbance. 

I  sent  the  prisoner  on  under  the  native  guard 
to  Kongo,  where  he  was  handed  over  to  the  captain 
and  taken  as  far  as  Bandundu ;  the  guard,  who  were 
also  the  witnesses,  accompanied  him,  though  their 
responsibility  was  now  at  an  end ;  and  on  their  evi- 
dence and  the  written  declaration  of  the  European 
the  man  was  sentenced  and  hanged. 

I  mention  this  incident  to  show  the  difficulties 
under  which  a  trader  labours  in  the  Congo.  He  has 
many  men  in  his  service,  but  he  is  not  allowed  to 
punish  them  ;  he  may  not  even  legally  put  them  under 
arrest,  though  he  is  all  the  time  responsible  for  any 
damage  they  may  do  or  any  complications  which  they 
may  provoke.  In  a  huge  area  like  this  it  is  im- 
possible to  have  a  sufficient  number  of  magistrates, 
and  by  far  the  best  thing  would  have  been  if  the 
European  had  strung  the  man  up  in  the  village  and 
made  an  example  of  him.  This  would,  it  is  true, 
have  been  illegal ;  but  so  was  my  action  in  Kolo- 
koto,  where  I  was  guilty  of  committing  a  common 
assault  on  Kikungula,  whom  I  would,  had  I  had 
the  power,  have  hung  with  the  greatest  pleasure^ 

X14 


PROBLEMS  OF  GOVERNMENT 

law  or  no  law,  to  prevent  him  from  doing  any  more 
mischief. 

It  must  not  be  imagined,  however,  that  I  am 
an  Anarchist,  who  holds  that  every  man  should  do 
what  is  right  in  his  own  eyes.  What  would  have 
been  the  result  of  my  complaining  to  the  magis- 
trate of  Kikungulu's  conduct  ?  The  magistrate 
would  have  been  bound  to  take  notice  of  the  charge ; 
to  arrest  so  important  a  man  as  Kikungulu,  he 
would  have  had  to  avail  himself  of  the  military 
forces  at  his  command ;  the  country  would  have 
been  alarmed ;  the  people  would  have  risen  against 
the  Europeans,  and  much  bloodshed  would  have  re- 
sulted from  the  endeavour  to  act  in  a  judicial  and 
orderly  manner.  Under  the  circumstances,  there- 
fore, I  imagine  that  I  did  well  to  act  according  to 
my  lights. 

It  must  not  be  overlooked  that  there  is  another 
side  to  the  question.  If  I  or  the  European  who 
arrested  the  Batetela  had  actually  taken  the  law 
into  our  own  hands  to  a  greater  extent  than  was 
actually  the  case,  we  should  have  been  moved  thereto 
by  the  desire  to  act  justly  and  put  down  evil-doing. 
But  it  by  no  means  follows  that  all  Europeans  would 
be  influenced  by  similar  motives ;  on  the  contrary, 
it  is  very  possible  that  some  would  only  do  so  to 
gratify  private  spite.  On  the  whole,  therefore,  it  is 
perhaps  just  as  well  that  the  European  stands  in  fear 
of  the  magistrate,  and  will  not  go  beyond  a  certain 
point,  and  be  debarred  from  taking  the  law  into  his 
own  hands, 

115 


DIFFICULTIES 

It  argues  a  somewhat  curious  view  of  human 
nature  to  lay  down  that  witnesses  may  only  be  in- 
terviewed and  justice  allowed  to  pursue  its  normal 
course  if  the  parties  are  not  disposed  to  offer  re- 
sistance. What  a  London  policeman  would  say  to 
a  magistrate  who  reproved  him  for  using  force  in 
arresting  a  dangerous  prisoner  I  do  not  know,  but 
the  public  would  doubtless  take  a  very  sound  view 
of  the  question. 

In  this  connection  I  must  call  attention  to  the 
fact  that  in  the  Congo  witnesses  do  not  recognise 
their  obligations.  They  do  not  attend  when  they 
are  summoned,  and  the  man  who  goes  to  summon 
them  is  attacked ;  so  is  the  magistrate  who  attempts 
to  interview  them.  If,  therefore,  the  objection  of 
prisoners  to  be  arrested  and  of  witnesses  to  be  com- 
pelled to  give  testimony  is  not  to  be  allowed  to 
upset  the  whole  machinery  of  justice,  it  is  absolutely 
essential  that  the  magistrate  should  have  sufficient 
force  at  his  back  and  should  not  hesitate  to  use  it 
whether  the  resisters  be  simple  witnesses  or  the  actual 
criminals. 

It  is  very  easy  to  sit  at  home  in  Europe  and 
criticise  men  who  go  with  their  lives  in  their  hands 
into  lands  where  they  are  outnumbered  by  the  natives 
many  thousand  times.  People  are  only  too  ready  to 
judge  by  the  result  and  do  not  appreciate  the  cruel 
dilemmas  in  which  a  white  man  may  be  placed. 
Take,  for  example,  the  case  of  Lieutenant  V.,  who 
some  years  ago  settled  down  peacefully  in  a  village 
of  the  Lomami  with  some  thirty  soldiers.    One  day 

116 


A  DILEMMA 

the  villagers  attacked  him  and  his  men,  massacred 
the  latter  and  held  the  officer  a  prisoner.  There  was 
no  reason  for  the  commencement  of  hostilities,  save 
that  the  tribe  was  very  martial  and  their  warriors 
were  spoiling  for  a  fight.  Captain  Derclaye,  now 
unhappily  no  more,  was  in  the  neighbourhood  with 
more  than  a  hundred  men,  and  he  naturally  marched 
to  the  relief  of  his  comrade.  When  he  was  approach- 
ing the  village  a  message  reached  him  to  the  effect 
that  if  he  would  retire  and  give  his  word  not  to  inflict 
any  punishment  for  the  aggression  the  lieutenant 
would  be  handed  over  unharmed. 

Now  consider  the  captain's  position.  If  he 
marched  on  the  village  and  failed  to  effect  a  rescue 
he  would  be  told  that  his  rashness  was  the  cause 
of  his  comrade's  death.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  he 
retired  only  to  find  that  the  promise  was  not  carried 
out,  his  whole  life  would  be  ruined  by  a  charge  of 
cowardice.  He  knew  that  he  could  not  trust  the 
natives,  but  nevertheless  he  resolved  to  accept  the 
offer,  and  happily  all  turned  out  well ;  but  it  was  a 
cruel  dilemma,  and  arm-chair  philosophers  do  not 
sufficiently  appreciate  the  problems  which  the  white 
man  has  to  face  and  solve,  whether  in  Africa  or  in 
any  country  where  he  is  one  against  many. 

For  my  journey  to  the  South  the  chief  desider- 
atum was  carriers.  I  finally  accumulated  a  sufficient 
number  by  promising  them  that  they  need  only  go 
as  far  as  Mosonge,  approximately  the  frontier  of 
Bambala  land,  where  I  hoped  to  replace  them  by 
Bayaka.    I  started  with  about  twenty  men,  taking 

117 


IN  THE  DESERT 

only  the  most  necessary  things,  about  400  lb.  weight 
in  all. 

From  Kolokoto  the  country  rises  steadily  for 
about  an  hour's  march  till  the  great  plateau  is 
reached  which  forms  so  great  an  obstacle  to  com- 
munication even  for  the  natives  themselves.  It 
extends  some  seven  hours'  march  north-east  to  south- 
west, a  barren,  flat  expanse  of  sand  with  patches  of 
thin  grass  less  than  2  feet  high.  In  the  whole 
area  of  400  square  miles  there  is,  so  far  as  I  know, 
but  one  single  tree,  which  is  visible  from  every  part  of 
the  plateau ;  beneath  it  are  the  remains  of  hundreds 
of  camp  fires,  for  it  affords  the  only  shade  from  the 
burning  rays  of  the  sun,  which,  reflected  from  the 
surface  of  the  sand,  are  so  powerful  that  the  Bambala 
traders  in  fowls  and  pigs  lose  half  of  their  stock  in  the 
short  journey  from  Kolokoto  to  the  Bayaka  country. 
There  are  no  birds  to  be  seen  there ;  no  animals,  not 
even  rats,  find  any  subsistence  ;  the  only  living  in- 
habitants of  this  desert  are  aggressive  brown  flies, 
which  settle  on  white  man,  black  man,  goat,  or  dog 
indiscriminately  to  suck  their  blood.  Meyey  tried 
at  first  to  drive  them  away  from  me,  but  at  last  even 
he  gave  it  up,  saying  they  were  too  much  for  him. 

As  a  rule  the  natives  whisk  away  the  flies  as  they 
march  in  single  file,  each  from  the  man  in  front  of 
him ;  on  the  occasion  of  my  march  over  the  plateau 
the  only  exception  to  this  rule  was  afforded  by  Kalala, 
the  little  scamp,  who  marched  along,  his  hands  in  the 
pockets  of  a  remarkably  primitive  pair  of  trousers, 
enjoying  the  sufferings  of  a  big  man  in  front  of  him. 

118 


A  NATIVE  HUT 

My  men  were  much  inconvenienced  by  want  of  water. 
I  had,  it  is  true,  entrusted  a  demi-john  full  of  the 
precious  liquid  to  a  carrier  at  the  start,  but  he  care- 
fully emptied  it  without  giving  me  a  hint  of  his 
intention,  and  when  he  was  taxed  with  his  misdeed 
he  thought  it  was  sufficient  to  say  that  the  jar  was 
much  lighter  empty,  as  no  doubt  it  was. 

About  four  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  Punza, 
on  a  tributary  of  the  Gobari,  just  below  the  edge 
of  the  plateau.  I  was  sorry  to  find  that  there  was 
very  little  food  to  be  had  here,  and  I  was  compelled 
to  distribute  to  my  men  the  flesh  of  two  goats  which 
I  was  taking  with  me  for  breeding  purposes.  For 
want  of  carriers  I  had  been  forced  to  leave  my  tent 
behind  and  was  obliged  to  lodge  in  a  filthy  native 
hut,  the  atmosphere  of  which  was  rendered  quite 
imbreathable  by  the  exceptional  industry  of  Kalala. 
Taking  a  palm  branch,  in  native  fashion,  he  tore  off 
the  green  part,  leaving  only  the  mid-ribs,  which 
he  bound  up,  forming  a  flat  broom.  With  this  he 
carefully  swept  the  walls  of  the  hut,  on  which 
had  accumulated  the  soot  of  many  generations  of 
fires,  and  raised  such  a  dust  that  I  felt  absolutely 
choked. 

Perhaps  it  may  be  as  well  to  offer  an  explanation 
to  my  readers  at  this  point.  I  always  spoke  the 
native  languages  with  my  boys,  and  when  I  report 
their  remarks  I  simply  translate  them  into  English, 
though  I  am  well  aware  that  a  more  amusing  effect 
would  be  produced  if  I  made  use  of  pidgin  English. 
But  it  is  my  endeavour  to  show  the  native  as  he  is, 

119 


TYPES  OF  THE  INTERIOR 

and  no  report  of  a  conversation  in  pidgin  English 
could  give  anything  like  a  true  impression.  For  a 
work  like  the  present,  which  does  not  aspire  to  be 
a  serious  contribution  to  science  except  in  a  very 
small  way,  it  seems  better  to  give  a  straightforward 
translation  of  a  conversation.  I  need  hardly  say  that 
I  regard  the  use  of  pidgin  English  or  pidgin  French 
in  scientific  works  with  the  utmost  contempt.  As  a 
means  by  which  to  acquire  anthropological  informa- 
tion of  value  it  is  simply  unworthy  of  notice.  An 
anthropologist  should  of  all  people  seek  to  reflect  the 
mind  of  the  people  whom  he  describes,  but  pidgin 
English  is  a  distorted  mirror  which  metamorphoses 
the  image  it  reflects. 

After  leaving  Punza  we  were  still  in  sandy  bush 
country,  but  as  it  was  traversed  by  several  water- 
courses marching  was  less  trying  for  the  carriers  and 
more  pleasant  for  myself.  The  population  was  still 
Bambala,  but  it  was  a  very  difierent  physical  type 
from  the  Biver-Bambala.  The  men  of  the  interior 
are  much  lighter  in  build,  less  bony,  and  quicker  in 
their  movements.  The  red-clay  paint  begins  to  be 
general,  and  they  dress  their  hair  in  five  longitudinal 
ridges,  plaited  and  oiled.  From  the  centre  of  the 
forehead,  along  the  temples  and  down  behind  each 
ear,  runs  a  plait  of  false  "  hair,"  composed  of  palm-leaf 
fibre. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  cannibalism  is  much  less 
frequent  in  the  "poor  country"  here,  than  it  was 
farther  to  the  north  ;  only  isolated  individuals  are 
addicted  to  the  practice,  and  it  finally  disappears 

120 


KWILU'S  HAMLET 

completely  near  the  Lukula,  the  southern  boundary 
of  the  northern  Bambala. 

After  three  days'  further  march  I  arrived  at 
Mosonge,  My  carriers  were  in  great  fear  that  I 
should  detain  them,  but  having  given  my  word  I 
naturally  let  them  go,  to  their  great  satisfaction. 
Mosonge  is  a  little  village,  or  rather  three  little 
villages,  each  under  an  independent  chief  I  took 
up  my  abode  in  the  one  belonging  to  chief  Kwilu, 
who  was  good  enough  to  sell  me,  for  a  small  con- 
sideration, one  of  his  huts,  the  occupant  of  which  he 
turned  out  and  compelled  to  build  a  fresh  mansion 
for  himself  My  first  care  was  to  enlarge  the  door 
of  my  house,  for  I  should  otherwise  have  been  unable 
to  creep  in  without  risking  a  broken  neck  every  time. 

Kwilu's  hamlet  consisted  of  at  most  seven  or  eight 
huts.  Those  of  his  three  wives,  in  which  he  resided 
alternately,  formed  a  separate  enclosure  with  a  cactus 
hedge,  the  entrance  to  which  only  permitted  one 
person  to  pass  at  a  time.  The  particular  cactus  used 
is  a  most  convenient  plant  for  such  purposes,  for  it 
suffices  to  break  the  leaves  ofi"  a  branch,  stick  each 
separately  into  the  ground,  and  await  results ;  in  six 
months  you  have  a  fine  hedge,  impenetrable,  less  on 
account  of  its  strength  than  because  of  its  poisonous 
qualities. 

In  the  middle  of  the  smaller  enclosure  stood 
Kwilu's  forge,  for  he  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and 
a  very  clever  one  too.  He  was  an  excellent  fellow, 
with  whom  I  was  always  on  the  best  of  terms ;  but 
unfortunately  the  poverty  of  the  land  was  such  that 

121 


SCARCITY  OF  FOOD 

he  was  unable  to  supply  me  with  food  after  the  first 
two  or  three  days.  My  European  food  was  at  Kongo 
and  could  not  be  forwarded,  or  rather,  thanks  to  the 
negligence  of  a  European,  was  not  forwarded. 

In  this  part  of  the  country  very  few  chickens  are 
reared,  and  it  so  happened  that  those  who  owned 
fowls  were,  while  I  was  there,  more  anxious  to  keep 
them  than  to  make  a  profit  out  of  the  sale  of  them. 
All  my  efibrts,  therefore,  failed  to  secure  a  larger 
supply  than  one  chicken  a  fortnight,  and  this  I  found 
insufficient  for  my  modest  needs,  I  became,  therefore, 
a  vegetarian  by  necessity,  and  lived  for  two  months 
mainly  on  native  bread,  made  from  cassava.  On  one 
of  my  excursions  I  found  some  plantains  in  Putum- 
bumba,  and  opened  negotiations  for  the  purchase  of 
the  plants  ;  at  a  cost  of  about  ten  shillings  worth  of 
cloth  I  secured  three  plants,  the  fruit  of  which  was 
then  getting  ripe.  A  week  or  so  later  I  sent  over, 
a  march  of  three  hours  in  each  direction,  for  my 
produce,  and  this  little  excursion  was  repeated  at 
intervals  of  about  a  week,  till  the  bunches  were  all 
gone.  It  is  a  testimony  to  native  honesty  that  my 
property  in  the  fruit  was  respected,  although  it  would 
have  been  difficult  for  me  to  discover  marauders  at 
such  a  distance  from  my  camp. 

Game  was  exceedingly  scarce ;  in  fact,  all  that 
came  to  hand  was  an  occasional  pigeon,  and  when  one 
visited  a  plantation  a  messenger  came  post  haste  to 
inform  me.  I  sallied  out  with  my  shot-gun,  but  in- 
stead of  sending  Meyey  to  put  it  up  I  stalked  it ;  as, 
in  better  days,  I  had  stalked  rhinoceros  and  elephants, 

122 


A  BREACH  OF  TRUST 

and  shot  it  sitting,  I  blush  to  say  ;  but  then,  as  Meyey 
used  to  say  to  me,  "You  looked  so  hungry  when  you 
went  after  the  pigeon."  The  genius  of  the  party  in 
such  matters  was  Kalala.  The  native  has  under  ordi- 
nary circumstances  an  instinct  which  tells  him  which 
way  a  hunted  animal  is  going,  and  permits  him  to  cut 
off  corners  and  take  the  chord  of  an  arc.  Kalala  had 
this  instinct  to  an  incredible  degree ;  and,  impossible 
as  it  may  appear,  was  literally  able  to  tell  me  on 
which  tree  a  pigeon  wheeling  in  the  air  was  going  to 
settle. 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  there  is  a  trade 
in  live  stock  from  North  to  South  ;  but  the  produce 
was  usually  bought  up  at  enormous  prices  before  it 
penetrated  to  the  part  in  which  I  was.  A  village 
or  several  villages  would  club  together  to  purchase 
a  goat,  which  would  be  cut  up,  as  soon  as  it  was 
bought,  into  equal  shares,  skin,  flesh,  intestines,  and 
bones  counting  equally,  among  the  shareholders. 

On  one  occasion  Kalala  committed  a  grave  breach 
of  trust,  which  resulted  in  open  war  between  him  and 
Meyey,  and  the  final  defeat  of  the  latter.  Hearing 
that  a  party  was  in  the  neighbourhood  which  had  a 
fowl  to  sell,  Kalala  sallied  forth  privily  and  purchased 
a  creature  about  the  size  of  a  European  pigeon,  com- 
posed of  little  more  than  skin  and  bone,  at  a  cost  of 
about  two  shillings.  Instead  of  bringing  this  into 
my  camp  as  his  duty  required,  he  secretly  cooked  it 
in  the  bush  and  regaled  himself  in  private.  His 
iniquity  was  exposed  by  Meyey,  who  discovered  him 
sucking  the  bones,  and  reproached  him  with  his  dis- 

123 


NATIVE  ETIQUETTE 

loyalty,  pointing  out  that  I  stood  in  far  greater  need 
of  animal  food  than  he  did,  and  should  have  had  the 
option  of  buying  in  the  delicious  tit-bit. 

I  took  no  part  in  Meyey's  quarrel  with  Kalala 
over  the  great  fowl  question,  I  regretted  his  defeat ; 
but,  in  my  heart  of  hearts,  though  I  did  not  tell  him 
so,  I  sympathised  with  Kalala  who,  at  any  rate,  gave 
evidence  of  acuteness  which  was  likely  to  lead  to  a 
future  of  prosperity. 

Although  I  had  nothing  to  eat  I  had  my  table 
laid  each  day  with  the  utmost  care — spotless  linen, 
knives  and  forks,  plates,  dishes,  &c.,  garnished  the 
festive  board,  and  when  the  cassava  bread  was  put  on 
the  table  Meyey  announced  with  gravity  that  would 
have  done  honour  to  the  most  aristocratic  butler,  that 
I  was  served.  Native  etiquette  forbids  the  presence 
of  spectators  when  an  important  person  is  eating,  and 
naturally  my  meals  were  taken  in  the  presence  of  my 
body  servant  alone.  My  portion  of  water  was  not  far 
short  of  a  gallon  a  day,  and  naturally  drinks  between 
meals  were  necessary  to  get  through  this  allowance. 
Now  this  is  not  so  simple  a  matter  as  it  seems.  It 
is  a  native  custom  when  anyone  drinks  for  all 
present  to  sit  down  on  the  ground  and  to  lower 
modestly  their  eyes.  Sometimes  when  I  went  into 
the  interior  all  the  people  of  the  surrounding  vOlages 
came  to  see  me,  and  if  I  raised  my  glass  to  my  mouth 
they  never  failed  to  drop  to  the  ground  with  one 
accord ;  if  by  chance  anyone  failed  to  carry  out  this 
duty  of  politeness,  his  neighbours  did  not  fail  to  recall 
him  to  his  senses  with  a  vigorous  nudge. 

124 


NATIVE  COURTESY 

Some  European  travellers  ridicule  native  customs 
of  this  sort,  and  endeavour  to  persuade  their  visitors 
that  it  is  imnecessary  for  them  to  practise  such  polite- 
ness in  their  presence.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  such  a 
man  simply  lowers  himself  in  the  natives'  eyes.  A 
native  will  comply  with  such  a  request  with  plea- 
sure, but  he  thinks  to  himself  that  his  visitor  has  no 
manners,  precisely  as  a  European  would  do  of  a  man 
who  persists  in  disregarding  some  well-known  rule  of 
politeness. 

I  have  mentioned  that  my  European  supplies 
failed  to  reach  me ;  the  loss  which  I  felt  most  was' 
that  of  my  tobacco,  which  I  smoke  only  in  cigarettes. 
Native  tobacco  takes  the  form  of  dried  leaves ;  and, 
when  I  came  to  the  end  of  my  stock,  the  faithful 
Meyey,  without  saying  anything  to  me,  invested 
some  of  his  wages  in  native  tobacco,  and  set  to 
work  to  cut  it  up  to  resemble  the  European  product 
as  nearly  as  possible.  Of  course  I  discovered  the 
difference,  though  the  resemblance  was  considerable, 
and  increased  as  Meyey  grew  more  skilful ;  I  was 
curious  to  see  what  would  happen.  One  day  he  came 
to  me  with  a  despairing  face,  and  said  :  *'  There  is  no 
more  tobacco  ;  I  haven't  a  single  penny  left  to  buy 
any  more."  I  asked  him  how  he  had  bought  it  up 
till  then,  and  he  said  quite  simply  :  "  From  my  ration 
money  and  my  wages."  "  But  why  did  you  not  ask 
me  for  money?"  "Oh,  what's  mine  is  yours,  you 
know ;  so  there  was  no  need."  Although  he  shared 
his  possessions  with  me,  Meyey  for  his  part  did 
not  carry  his  communism  when  my  goods  were  con- 

125 


NAIVE  SOPHISTRY 

cerned  further,  than  to  speak  of  my  gun  as  "  our 
gun,"  or  my  table  as  "  our  table,"  Unwilling  to 
deprive  him  of  the  pleasure  of  having  made  me  a  pre- 
sent, I  did  not  offer  to  repay  the  money  he  had  spent 
on  his  purchase  of  tobacco  ;  but  I  naturally  took 
care  that,  at  the  first  opportunity,  he  received  a  pre- 
sent which  amply  made  up  for  the  self-denial  he  had 
practised. 

It  was  out  of  the  question  to  think  of  building  a 
house  in  Mosonge ;  there  was  neither  wood  nor  clay 
to  be  had.  But  I  managed  to  engage  a  man  to 
execute  repairs  to  my  hut,  and  generally  make  him- 
self useful.  The  first  morning  he  set  to  work  with 
great  elan  at  about  6  a.m.,  but  at  7  a.m.  he  had 
unaccountably  disappeared.  I  went  to  the  village 
to  see  what  had  happened,  and  found  him  drinking 
palm- wine.  I  inquired  what  brought  him  there,  and 
he  coolly  replied,  "Ami  kunya  makana  lo?"  (Do 
you  think  I  never  drink  palm-wine?)  He  was  per- 
suaded to  return  a  little  later,  but  at  about  half-past 
nine  he  again  disappeared.  I  again  went  in  quest  of 
him  and  found  him  at  rest  upon  a  mat.  This  time 
he  explained  that  it  was  getting  rather  warm,  and  he 
thought  it  was  better  to  wait  till  evening  before  he 
returned  to  his  labours. 

The  next  morning  he  did  not  come  at  all,  so  I 
sallied  forth  a  third  time  in  search  of  the  truant.  I 
discovered  him  in  his  hut,  and  he  explained  the  situa- 
tion in  this  wise:  "You  see,  you  were  angry  yester- 
day, because  I  left  work  to  get  a  drink  when  I  was 
thirsty ;  to-day,  I  think,  it  is  better  to  wait  till  I  an\ 

126 


NAIVE  SOPHISTRY 

thirsty,  so  that  I  can  drink  first  and  then  go  to 
my  work."  Under  these  circumstances  I  thought  it 
better  to  deny  myself  the  honour  of  having  him  in 
my  employment ;  though,  even  if  there  were  an 
Employers'  Liability  Act  in  the  Congo,  I  ran  little 
risk  of  his  meeting  with  an  accident  during  the  time 
he  was  engaged  fulfilling  his  contract  with  me. 

All  my  eflbrts  to  obtain  carriers  were  fruitless. 
I  resolved  to  start  for  the  South  with  Meyey  and 
Bokale,  leaving  Kalala  in  charge  of  my  possessions  at 
Mosonge,  Meyey  carried  a  blanket,  soap,  and  tooth- 
brush ;  Bokale  had  a  frying-pan,  a  few  goods  for 
trading  with  the  natives,  a  knife  for  my  use ;  and, 
as  insignia  of  office,  his  big  cook's  knife  stuck  in  his 
girdle.  And  so  I  left  for  the  unknown  South,  trust- 
ing in  Providence  and  Meyey,  who  assured  me  that 
he  had  been  with  his  father  to  the  Lukula  about  a 
year  before,  and  thus  knew  the  way. 


127 


CHAPTER  VIII 


An  aflBanced  lover — The  Bajaka  tribe — Manners  and  customs — Communal 
customs — Burial  rites — Folk-lore. 

THE  first  day's  march  took  us  to  Kisai,  a  village 
of  the  Basamba,  probably  one  of  the  earliest 
Bantu  populations  of  the  country.  Their  settlements 
extend  over  an  enormous  area  in  proportion  to  the 
population ;  for  each  village  is  formed  of  so  many 
separate  hamlets  of  two  or  three  huts  and  surrounded 
by  natural  hedges  (the  residence  of  a  single  polygynous 
family),  with  intervening  tracts  of  bush,  20  yards  or 
more  in  breadth,  traversed  by  narrow  paths.  It  is 
impossible  to  say  what  was  the  original  reason  for 
this  curious  arrangement ;  at  the  present  day  it  cer- 
tainly forms  an  excellent  defence  against  the  aggres- 
sive Bambala  and  Bayaka  neighbours,  with  whom  the 
Basamba  are  never  on  better  than  cool  terms.  On  my 
very  first  visit  to  the  village  I  was  talking  to  the  chief, 
when  suddenly  cries  were  heard  in  the  distance  and 
all  the  men,  including  the  old  chief,  snatched  up  bows 
and  arrows  and  made  oflP  in  the  direction  of  the  alarm. 
When  they  returned  an  hour  later,  it  appeared  that 
the  Bambala  had  tried  to  lift  the  goats  of  an  outlying 
hamlet  and  had  been  driven  ofi"  again.  It  is  obviously 
difiicult  to  get  the  better  of  such  a  village ;  it  is  like 
street  fighting  in  civilised  countries,  where  each  house 

128 


AN  AFFIANCED  LOVER 


has  to  be  captured  separately ;  and  in  addition  in 
Congoland  the  invader  suffers  from  the  disadvantage 
of  being  the  target  of  invisible  enemies  familiar  with 
the  intricacies  of  the  paths. 

I  offered  to  remonstrate  on  their  behalf  with  the 
Bambala,  but  the  old  chief  thanked  me  and  said  that 
he  was  confident  of  his  ability  to  hold  his  own.  I 
may  here  remark  that  I  was  always  on  the  best  of 
terms  with  the  Basamba,  but  quite  failed  to  make 
any  progress  in  my  investigations  into  their  customs. 
Communication  between  us  was  carried  on  in  Kim- 
bala,  and  as  soon  as  I  trenched  on  ethnographical 
questions  they  forgot  their  Kimbala  or  had  a  pressing 
engagement  elsewhere. 

The  old  chief  was  on  especially  friendly  terms 
with  me,  so  much  so  that  he  was  very  desirous  to 
make  me  his  daughter's  affianced  lover.  The  young 
lady  was  at  the  time  in  question  four  years  of  age ; 
but  engagements  in  the  Congo  are  never  postponed 
because  the  parties  are  too  young.  I  accepted  his 
flattering  proposal ;  for  the  only  obligations  which 
such  an  engagement  imposed  were,  firstly,  to  bring  a 
present  to  my  fiancee  whenever  I  came  to  the  village, 
and,  secondly,  to  do  the  same  for  her  father.  The 
duties,  in  fact,  are  all  on  the  other  side,  save  for 
these,  for  breach  of  promise  actions  against  a  man 
are  unknown ;  but  the  girl  may  not  marry  another 
man  unless  the  preferred  lover  is  prepared  to  pay  an 
enormous  fine,  possibly  nine  or  ten  goats. 

I,  as  in  duty  bound,  offered  a  suitable  present  to 
my  future  father-in-law,  and  he  in  return  gratified  me 

129  I 


THE  BAYAKA  TRIBE 

by  the  gift  of  his  wig,  an  object  made  of  pahn-fibre, 
but  so  well  smeared  with  soot  and  oil  as  to  appear 
absolutely  natural,  as  all  may  see  who  care  to  visit 
it  at  its  resting-place  in  the  British  Museum.  My 
fiancee  took  the  matter  very  seriously.  Whenever 
I  visited  the  village  she  came  up  to  me  and  never 
quitted  my  side,  trying  to  make  herself  as  useful  to 
me  as  possible,  as  a  foretaste  of  her  capacity  for 
wifely  duties. 

After  leaving  this  village  I  came  to  a  Bambala 
settlement,  the  same  that  had  made  an  inroad  on 
Kisai ;  here  I  saw  the  first  goyava  trees.  Warlike 
preparations  were  made,  for  they  mistook  me  for  a 
Basamba  expedition  of  revenge ;  but  when  they  saw 
I  was  a  European  they  laid  aside  their  weapons  and 
received  me  very  kindly.  The  country  was  still  rising 
at  this  village  and  for  some  distance  beyond,  in 
fact,  as  far  as  the  Yee  E-iver,  where  I  saw  the  first 
Bayaka. 

The  Bayaka  have  been  settled  on  the  Kwango  for 
centuries,  for  they  are  mentioned  by  early  travellers. 
Many  authors  have  confused  the  Kiamfu,  the  chief  of 
the  Bayaka,  with  Muata  Yamvo,  ruler  of  the  Balunda, 
and  it  has  often  been  stated  that  they  were  once 
tributary  to  the  state  of  Lunda ;  this  is,  however, 
doubtful.  The  eastern  Bayaka  seem  to  be  rebels 
against  the  Kiamfu  and  are  ruled  by  a  chief  called 
Muri  Kongo ;  this  title  of  Muri  seems  to  be  merely 
honorary.  His  subjects  seem  to  have  migrated  still 
farther  eastwards  and  to  have  formed  the  enclave 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  Kwilu,  as  well  as  the  com- 

130 


MUU  RNING 

Mourning  may  be  expressed  in  different  ways  according  to  the  tribe  the  moiirner  belongs  to,  and 
also  according  to  the  degree  of  relationsliip  to  the  deceased.  Sometimes  the  whole  body  is 
besmeared  with  clay  of  a  certain  colour,  sometimes  only  ihe  chest  or  ihe  arms.  It  is  usual  for 
mourners  to  let  their  hair  grow  until  the  period  of  mourning  is  over. 


Keen  Traders 


Marketing  is  one  of  the  duties  of  the  woman  in  the  Congo;  it  is  also  one  of  her  great  pleasures. 
All  blacks  can  be  said  to  be  born  traders,  bui  women  by  far  excel  the  men.  To  "do"'  someone 
over  a  bargain  is  the  greatest  of  pleavures,  and  cannot  be  bought  too  dear. 


THE  BAYAKA  TRIBE 

munities  extending  north-east  from  the  upper  waters 
of  the  Gufu  or  Kafi. 

The  Bayaka  are  smaller  than  the  Bambala,  lightly 
built,  with  refined  features.  In  colour  they  seem  to 
be  somewhat  lighter  than  the  Bambala,  whom  they 
resemble  in  eyes,  nose,  and  lips. 

Both  sexes  shave  the  head  so  as  to  leave  three 
ridges  running  from  front  to  back ;  the  remaining 
hair  is  plaited,  three  strands  together,  but  as  it  is 
very  short  a  needle  is  generally  used  in  the  operation. 
Two  tresses,  starting  from  the  centre  of  the  forehead, 
are  plaited  with  grass  and  run  behind  each  ear.  The 
men  allow  the  beard  to  grow,  but  shave  the  moustache. 

The  chief  garment  is  a  loin-cloth  of  palm-fibre 
made  in  one  piece  and  supported  by  a  girdle  of  straw  ; 
it  is  often  dyed  with  tukula  wood ;  the  border  is 
turned  up  and  hemmed  with  palm-fibre  thread ;  the 
needles  are  native  made,  and  the  hole  is  manufactured 
not  by  perforation  but  by  bending  back  the  head  and 
welding  the  join.  Only  old  men  wear  any  covering 
for  the  head,  but  both  sexes  wear  on  the  back  a  goat- 
skin as  a  protection  against  rain. 

Both  sexes  paint  the  chest  with  tukula  wood,  and 
the  dead  are  similarly  treated,  in  each  case  with  the 
idea  of  increasing  beauty.  The  incisors  are  sometimes 
knocked  out  or  filed  to  a  V-shaped  point,  but  neither 
tattoo  nor  raised  scars  are  at  all  common.  Women 
tie  string  over  their  breasts  in  order  to  flatten  them. 

Necklets  of  European  beads  or  monkey-teeth, 
large  anklets  of  brass,  and  brass  or  copper  armlets  are 
worn,  and  the  latter  are  so  large  that  they  can  be 

131 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS 

removed  without  bending  them.  Men  who  have 
killed  an  enemy  wear  an  iron  bracelet,  and  at  dances 
men  wear  a  skin  in  front  of  their  girdles ;  women 
ornament  their  hair  with  beads. 

The  Bayaka  do  not  eat  the  flesh  of  dogs,  but 
almost  anything  else  is  welcomed ;  fowls,  eggs,  and 
food  cooked  in  a  pot  that  has  been  used  for  a  fowl 
are  forbidden  to  women,  who  are  supposed  to  become 
mad  and  tear  off  their  clothes  if  they  violate  the  pro- 
hibition. Even  men  must  observe  certain  customs  in 
eating  poultry ;  a  hen  may  be  shared  by  several,  but 
a  cock  must  be  consumed  by  one  man  or  illness  will 
result ;  a  son  not  yet  circumcised  may,  however, 
partake  of  a  cock  with  his  father.  As  with  all  the 
Kongo  tribes,  milk  is  not  used  as  food.  The  Bayaka 
do  not  practise  cannibalism  under  any  circumstances. 

The  agriculture  of  the  Bayaka  is  much  the  same 
as  that  of  the  Bambala,  but  there  are  no  forests  in 
their  country,  and  the  same  plot  of  ground  is  planted 
for  several  years  in  succession.  Manioc  exhausts  the 
ground,  but  maize  and  ground-nuts  can  be  set  year 
after  year ;  the  tobacco  gardens  are,  as  with  the 
Bambala,  within  the  village. 

The  huts  differ  only  in  one  respect  from  those  of 
the  Bambala ;  they  have  a  doorway  some  five  feet 
high  with  a  threshold  on  the  level  of  the  ground. 
The  village  is  often  small,  consisting  of  not  more  than 
two  or  three  huts,  but  they  are  usually  so  close 
together  that  it  is  difficult  to  say  where  one  begins 
and  another  ends  ;  the  major  axis  of  the  village  gener- 
ally runs  north  and  south,  but  the  door  may  face  in 

132 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS 

any  direction.  It  is  the  business  of  the  chief  to  sweep 
out  his  village  each  morning,  but  pigs  and  dogs 
are  chiefly  responsible  for  the  work  of  scavenging. 
Married  women  have,  of  course,  each  her  own  hut,  and 
unmarried  men  have  a  hut  where  several  live  together. 
Sometimes  in  front  of  a  hut  a  semicircle  of  sticks  is 
seen  connected  by  strings  from  which  other  sticks  are 
hanging ;  this  is  an  indication  that  the  son  of  the 
house  has  been  circumcised  and  is  living  in  retirement 
in  the  bush  for  a  time. 

Trade  with  the  Bayaka  is  much  the  same  as  with 
the  Bambala,  save  that  the  former  export  rubber. 
Male  slaves  are  worth  three  times  as  much  as  among 
the  Bambala,  and  a  goat  is  also  nearly  three  times  as 
valuable.  As  with  the  Bambala  in  case  of  debt,  the 
goods  of  traders  of  the  same  tribe  as  the  defaulter 
may  be  seized  in  satisfaction. 

Adult  males  are  the  only  holders  of  property  ;  and 
water  does  not  in  this  tribe  belong  to  anyone.  A 
debtor  may  be  seized  as  a  bondsman  and  his  debts 
discharged  by  his  heir,  his  eldest  brother,  even  if  there 
is  no  property  to  inherit.  If  there  is  no  brother  and 
no  son  by  a  sister,  one  of  the  slaves  of  a  dead  man 
inherits  his  property  and  becomes  a  free  man. 

The  hunting-grounds  are  private  property,  and 
the  owner  of  the  land  receives  a  leg  of  each  animal 
killed ;  the  game  belongs  to  the  slayer,  but,  in  fact, 
all  partake  of  it. 

The  eastern  Bayaka  are  all  under  Muri  Kongo, 
who  regards  them  all  as  his  slaves  ;  they  prostrate 
themselves  on  entering  his  presence  and  beat  their 

133 


COMMUNAL  CUSTOMS 

breasts.  His  power  is  absolute  and  he  has  no  advisers, 
though  each  village  is  administered  by  a  petty  chief 
who  is  succeeded  by  his  heir.  Muri  Kongo  deter- 
mines what  tribute  shall  be  paid  and  is  his  own  tax- 
gatherer.  Succession  to  the  head  chieftainship  is  the 
same  as  for  property,  and  when  the  sister's  son  is  a 
minor  his  father  or  mother  acts  as  his  guardian, 
though  women  cannot  in  their  own  person  succeed 
to  the  chieftaincy. 

A  boy  belongs  to  the  village  of  his  maternal  uncle, 
and  removes  thither  at  the  age  of  five  or  later ;  only 
blood  relatives  and  women  who  marry  villagers  are 
admitted  into  the  village  community.  If  an  alien 
asks  to  be  received  or  even  begs  for  food  he  or  she 
is  immediately  seized  and  sold  as  a  slave,  the  proceeds 
being  divided  among  the  free  adult  males.  The 
villages  being  so  small,  and  frequently  the  outcome 
of  growth  of  a  single  family,  it  is  natural  that  the 
members  should  regard  themselves  as  of  kin  to  each 
other.  Relationship  on  the  female  side  is  considered 
to  be  closer  than  that  on  the  male  side. 

Marriage  with  the  Bayaka  is  always  by  purchase, 
and  the  price  is  10,000  djimhu ;  the  father  of  the 
bride  must  pay  a  goat  to  his  chief  because  the  bride 
goes  out  of  the  village.  The  woman  follows  her 
husband,  and  he  has  absolute  power  over  her,  but 
consent  is  necessary  on  her  part  before  she  can  be 
married.  If  a  woman  is  divorced  she  is  free  to  marry 
again  unless  she  has  been  guilty  of  adultery ;  but  the 
second  husband  must  pay  the  bride  price  back  to  the 
first.    If  the  wife  dies  before  giving  birth  to  a  girl 

134 


COMMUNAL  CUSTOMS 

her  father  must  repay  the  bride  price.  Widows  may 
return  to  their  families,  but  if  they  remarry  the 
bride  price  must  be  repaid  to  the  heir  of  the  dead 
husband. 

A  man  who  can  afiord  it  has  more  than  one  wife, 
and  all  have  equal  rights,  each  having  a  separate  hut 
for  herself  and  her  children.  Slaves  must  marry  slaves 
and  free  men  must  marry  free  women ;  even  slave 
concubines  are  forbidden  to  free  men. 

Slavery  is  universal,  and  the  slaves  receive  very 
little  consideration.  They  cannot  possess  property, 
and  therefore  cannot  redeem  themselves.  Prisoners 
of  war  are  on  the  same  footing  as  ordinary  born 
slaves ;  but  debtors  are  as  with  the  Bambala  bonds- 
men rather  than  slaves. 

After  the  birth  of  a  child  the  mother  must  remain 
in  the  hut  for  a  time ;  the  father  kills  a  fowl,  which 
is  afterwards  eaten,  and  sprinkles  some  of  the  blood 
on  the  house  god.  The  chief  of  the  wife's  village 
gives  ten  fowls  to  the  father  for  a  male  child,  twenty 
for  a  female  child.  A  father  may  neither  kill  nor 
sell  his  child  as  a  slave.  In  most  villages  the  care 
of  children  seems  to  fall  to  the  father,  and  the 
men  generally  seem  very  fond  of  their  children. 
For  a  year  after  its  birth  a  child  must  not  be 
washed,  and  the  father  must  also  abstain  from  his 
ablutions. 

As  soon  as  the  boy  is  circumcised  he  becomes  a 
man,  even  if  he  is  no  more  than  eight  years  old  ;  as 
such  he  is  a  warrior  and  has  to  go  to  war.  When 
an  expedition  is  proposed  the  men  are  summoned 

135 


WEAPONS  AND  PRISONERS 

by  the  beating  of  gongs,  and  the  wife  of  the  chief 
liberally  decorated  with  red  paint  stands  in  the 
middle  of  the  village.  Each  warrior  has  to  shoot  an 
arrow  between  her  legs,  and  omens  are  drawn  from 
their  marksmanship ;  if  the  arrow  falls  between  her 
feet  the  expedition  will  not  be  successful ;  if  it  passes 
through  the  omen  is  good ;  the  unsuccessful  marks- 
man must  remain  at  home- 

Practically  the  only  weapons  are  bows  and  arrows, 
but  farther  east  swords  are  in  general  use  too.  The 
bow  is  made  of  a  kind  of  maple ;  it  is  nearly  5  feet 
long  and  2  to  4  inches  broad.  In  shooting  the 
bamboo  string  is  held  with  two  fingers  with  the 
arrow  between.  At  short  distances  up  to  thirty  feet 
they  are  good  marksmen.  The  arrows  have  iron 
heads  and  are  notched  and  feathered. 

An  attack  is  usually  prefaced  by  mutual  abuse, 
but  ambushes  and  night  attacks  are  not  unknown. 
Hence  sentries  are  posted  all  round  a  village  in  war 
time. 

Prisoners  are  sold  as  slaves,  and  if  they  are 
wounded  time  is  given  for  the  wounds  to  heal.  If 
a  man  is  killed  on  the  Bayaka  side,  the  arrow  which 
gave  the  death  wound  must  not  be  broken  but  cut 
out  and  stuck  through  the  centre  of  the  roof  of  his 
brother's  hut. 

Alliances  are  frequently  contracted  between  village 
chiefs,  and  peace  is  made  in  the  following  manner  : 
chiefs  of  the  two  villages  meet  and  eat  a  cake  in  which 
they  put  some  of  their  nail  parings  ;  then  a  fowl  is 
killed,  wrapped  in  leaves  and  buried,  and  the  cere- 

136 


BURIAL  RITES 

mony  is  over.  It  is  believed  that  he  who  breaks 
the  truce  will  die. 

Unlike  many  Kongo  tribes,  the  Bayaka  accept 
illness  as  a  cause  of  death,  but  trials  for  witchcraft 
are  not  unknown  among  them.  Relatives  and  friends 
surround  a  dying  man,  but  only  the  nearest  relations 
attend  the  funeral.  The  corpse  is  painted  red  and 
arranged  in  a  sitting  posture  with  the  knees  under 
the  chin  and  the  hands  clasped  beneath  the  knees ; 
food  is  put  at  its  side  in  the  grave,  and  the  earth 
is  filled  in.  A  small  straw  hut  is  erected  over  the 
grave,  and  all  the  pots  owned  by  the  deceased  are 
broken  and  thrown  upon  the  grave.  No  weapons 
must  be  buried  with  the  dead ;  for  if  they  were  the 
ghost  would  visit  the  heir  on  three  successive  nights, 
and  on  the  fourth  night  kill  him.  Widows  while  in 
mourning  are  painted  red  and  not  allowed  to  plait 
their  hair. 

The  Bayaka  are  born  gamblers,  so  much  so  that 
some  chiefs  prohibit  games  of  chance  in  their  villages 
and  put  as  a  sign  a  small  palm  leaf  upon  a  tree 
in  the  middle  of  the  village.  The  favourite  game  is 
played  with  a  small  basket  and  a  number  of  wooden 
discs  flat  on  one  side,  rounded  on  the  other.  They 
are  thrown  out,  and  the  thrower  wins  if  most  fall  flat 
side  up. 

The  Bayaka  do  not  dance,  sing,  or  tell  stories 
before  foreigners,  and  it  is  only  by  chance  that  one 
gains  any  information  on  any  of  these  points.  As 
a  specimen  of  their  folk-lore  the  following  story  will 
serve. 

137 


FOLK-LORE 


The  story  is  related  by  a  single  individual,  the 
audience  joining  in  the  chorus.  In  explanation  it 
should  be  said  that  the  word  kongo  means  "  hunt " ; 
ayeye  is  merely  an  exclamation,  and  the  spoken 
hekeleh  hekelek  hugumun  is  supposed  to  imitate  the 
sound  made  by  fallen  wood. 

One  day,  a  long  time  ago,  a  monkey,  in  his 
rambles  among  the  branches  of  the  trees,  wandered 
farther  from  his  home  than  was  his  custom.  At 
last  he  arrived  at  a  place  in  the  forest  where  he  had 
never  been  before ;  and  what  did  he  see  there  ? 

Chorus. 

Allegretto. 


-=  ^—S--^" 


■iS-^-if-j-g-jf-^-jj- 

Kongo    kongo    kongo     kongo     kongo     a  -  ye  -  ye 


^  V     >  W 

Kongo     kongo  kongo 


kongo      kongo     a  -  ye  -  ye 


Mama  mama 


Mama     mama  bewula. 


(Spoken  in  a  low  voice  very  fast) — 

Bekelek  bekelek  bugumun,  bekelek  bekelek  bugumun,  bekelek  bekelek 

bugumun. 


Home  he  ran  and  said  to  the  other  monkeys  : 
"  Oh,  my  brothers,  I  have  seen  something  horrible ! 
I  was  in  a  part  of  the  forest  where  I  saw  tree 
falling  after  tree,  and  although  I  looked  about  in 
every  direction  I  could  not  discover  what  made 

138 


FOLK-LORE 


them  fall  like  that."  "  Small  trees  ? "  asked  the 
other  monkeys.  "  No,"  replied  the  first,  "  big  ones, 
the  biggest  in  the  forest."  The  monkeys  were 
greatly  surprised.  "  Are  you  sure  that  you  saw  no 
one  felling  them?"  "Certainly,  there  was  no  one 
there,  and  the  trees  were  falling,  falling,  falling." 
(Chorus.) 

The  monkeys,  unable  to  understand  how  this  was 
possible,  went  to  see  the  jackal,  who  had  the  repu- 
tation of  being  very  sly.  "  I'll  go  and  see,"  said 
the  jackal.  So  he  went,  and  there  he  too  saw  the 
trees  falling,  falling,  falling,  but  could  discover  no 
cause  why  they  should  fall  like  that.  So  back  he 
went  to  the  monkeys  and  said,  "  I  could  see  nobody 
who  made  them  do  so,  but  I  saw  the  trees  falling, 
falling,  falling." 

(Chorus.) 

Then  said  the  jackal,  "  Let  us  go  to  the  leopard, 
he  might  be  able  to  discover  the  explanation."  So 
they  went  and  told  their  story  to  that  cunning 
animal.  "  I'll  go  and  see,"  said  the  leopard.  So 
he  went,  and  there  he  too  saw  the  trees  falling, 
falling,  falling,  but  could  discover  no  cause  why 
they  should  fall  like  that.  So  back  he  went  to 
the  monkeys  and  jackal  and  said,  "  I  could  see 
nobody  who  made  them  do  so,  but  I  saw  the  trees 
falling,  falling,  falling." 

(Chorus.) 

139 


FOLK-LORE 


Then  said  the  leopard,  "  Let  us  go  to  the  lion  ; 
that  mighty  animal  is  sure  to  be  able  to  advise  us." 
So  they  all  went  and  told  their  story  to  the  mighty 
lion.  "  I'll  go  and  see,"  said  the  lion.  So  off  he 
went,  and  saw  the  trees  falling,  falling,  falling,  but 
could  not  discover  what  made  them  fall  like  that. 
So  back  he  went  to  the  other  animals,  and  said, 
"  I  could  see  nobody  who  made  them  do  so,  but  I 
saw  the  trees  falling,  falling,  falling." 

(Chorus.) 

Then  said  the  lion,  "Let  us  go  to  the  wise 
elephant ;  he  is  the  wisest  of  all  the  animals,  and 
he  will  certainly  be  able  to  discover  what  makes 
the  trees  fall."  So  they  went  to  the  elephant  and 
related  their  story.  "  I'll  go  and  see,"  said  the 
elephant.  But  he  was  no  more  successful  than  the 
others,  and  when  he  returned  he  said,  "  I  have 
looked  to  the  right,  to  the  left,  behind  me,  before 
me,  but  could  see  no  one  who  might  be  the  cause 
why  all  the  trees  were  falling,  falling,  falling." 

{Cho7ms.) 

All  the  animals  were  very  unhappy,  "  What 
shall  we  do,"  said  they,  "  if  all  the  forest  is  de- 
stroyed ? "  Then  up  spoke  the  cat,  who  had  just 
arrived,  "  Let  me  go  and  see  what  is  happening ; 
perhaps  I  shall  be  able  to  discover  what  is  the 
matter."  All  the  animals  laughed  at  the  cat. 
"What!"  said  they;  "the  sly  jackal,  the  cunning 
leopard,  the  mighty  lion,  the  wise   elephant,  all 

140 


FOLK-LORE 

have  failed ;  do  you  think  that  you,  a  cat,  will  be 
successful  ? "  "  Only  let  me  go,"  said  the  cat,  *'  at 
least  no  harm  can  come  of  it."  So  off  he  went,  and 
soon  returned  with  a  rat  in  his  mouth.  So  the  cat 
was  the  saviour  of  the  forest,  for  the  trees  did  not 
fall  any  more. 
(Chorus.) 


141 


CHAPTER  IX 


Survival  of  the  fittest — A  blind  boy — A  costly  habit — Collecting  a  vocabulary 
—  An  amateur  sportsman  —  Taken  unawares  —  A  fine  haul  —  Bayaka 
fetishes — Keturn  to  Mosonge — Exploring  the  interior. 

ON  the  Yee  River  is  situated  a  small  Bayaka 
village  which  is  commonly  called  Yee,  though 
it  has  another  name.  At  the  entrance  I  saw  a 
roughly  constructed  gallows  on  which  hung  a  dead 
dog.  I  learned  later  that  he  was  a  notorious  thief, 
who  was  in  the  habit  of  making  marauding  expe- 
ditions among  the  fowls ;  he  had,  therefore,  been 
strung  up  as  a  public  example. 

My  arrival  did  not  seem  to  cause  any  particular 
excitement.  In  the  middle  of  the  village  stood  a 
man  singing  at  the  top  of  his  voice  and  accom- 
panying himself  upon  that  very  pleasing  instru- 
ment, a  friction  drum,  which,  from  its  delightful 
tone,  is  known  in  Germany  as  a  "  wood-devil."  The 
chief,  as  usual,  came  to  meet  me,  and  we  were  soon 
on  good  terms.  The  village  does  not  consist  of  more 
than  about  twenty  huts.  Among  the  inhabitants  is, 
singular  to  say,  a  boy  who  was  born  blind ;  of  course 
by  the  Congo  tribes  cripples  and  others  with  bodily 
deformities  rule,  put  out  of  the  way  at 

once ;  the  Bayaka  alone  are  an  exception.  This 
small  boy,  whose  name  was  Beta,  was  a  universal 
favourite;   he  wandered   about  the  village  never 

142 


A  BLIND  BOY 

running  up  against  any  obstruction,  recognised 
people,  addressing  them  by  name,  and  generally 
conducted  himself  like  a  person  in  full  enjoyment  of 
his  sight.  It  was  not,  of  course,  remarkable  that 
he  should  recognise  me,  for  I  was  the  only  wearer 
of  boots  for  many  miles ;  but  that  he  should  be  able 
to  distinguish  the  step  of  barefooted  individuals 
seemed  to  me  more  than  a  little  surprising.  Peta 
was  an  object  of  pity,  and  this,  too,  is  exceptional. 
A  man  in  the  same  village  who  suffered  from  deaf- 
ness was  simply  the  butt  of  the  whole  village.  I 
presented  Peta  with  a  bell  which  was,  and  pro- 
bably still  is,  a  source  of  infinite  pleasure  to  him ; 
he  wandered  round  the  village  ringing  it,  and 
whenever  I  returned  he  was  always  at  the  entrance 
to  the  village  waiting  for  me  with  his  bell,  which 
he  rang  with  the  remark  that  he  had  not  broken 
it  yet. 

The  chief  apologised  to  me  for  being  unable  to 
offer  me  a  present  on  my  arrival,  but  promised  to 
go  into  one  of  the  neighbouring  villages  to  secure  a 
fowl ;  the  transaction  occupied  some  three  hours — a 
striking  illustration  of  the  poverty  of  the  country. 

I  had  not  the  slightest  difficulty  in  maintaining 
satisfactory  relations  with  the  inhabitants  of  this 
village,  as  with  the  Bayaka  generally.  In  the 
beginning  of  1906  the  newspapers  of  Europe  con- 
tained accounts  of  a  Bayaka  rising  near  the  Kwango 
(parent  branch),  which  resulted  in  the  death  of 
several  white  men.  The  Government,  hearing  of  the 
massacre,  sent  down  troops  and  arrested  the  Kiamfu 

143 


A  COSTLY  HABIT 

(chief),  but  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  the 
Bayaka  were  in  fault  only  because  they  took  the 
law  into  their  own  hands  and  acted  under  great 
provocation,  for  an  agent  of  a  Company  had  made 
some  unreasonable  demands,  which  the  Kiamfu  had 
refused  ;  thereupon  the  official  threatened  to  muti- 
late the  chief,  who  it  must  be  understood  is  a  man 
of  enormous  influence  and  very  great  wealth.  His 
subjects  were  naturally  highly  excited  at  the  insult, 
and  rose  against  the  whites  with  the  result  recorded 
in  the  newspapers. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  wealth  of  the  Kiamfu, 
I  may  here  relate  a  story  told  of  his  predecessors, 
to  whom  he  was  equal  in  wealth  and  superior  in 
humanity.  Like  the  nouveau  riche  who  lights  his 
cigar  with  a  five  pound  note  in  order  to  display 
his  wealth,  in  former  days  the  Kiamfu,  when  he 
rose  from  a  sitting  position,  did  so  with  the  aid  of 
two  slaves,  one  on  either  side,  into  whose  backs  he 
stuck  a  knife.  How  many  times  a  day  the  Kiamfu 
was  in  the  habit  of  rising  from  his  seat  I  cannot 
say,  but  the  practice  must  have  caused  the  death 
of  at  least  half  a  dozen  slaves  a  day  and  cost  more 
than  £2000  a  year. 

The  arrest  of  the  Kiamfu  was  smartly  carried 
out  by  Lieutenant  Danniels,  with  the  help  of  a 
bugler  Bobbo,  both  of  whom  shall  meet  again.  The 
Government  despatched  Danniels  with  a  wholly  in- 
adequate force  to  make  the  arrest.  He  marched  on 
the  village  and  sent  for  the  Kiamfu  to  come  and 
see  him.    He  came,  and  Bobbo,  the  strongest  man 

144 


A  Fisii  i  ROM  THK  Congo 


Some  of  the  fish  in  the  Conso  and  its  affluents  are  so  big  that  it  requires  two  men 
to  carry  them.    There  is  great  sport  to  be  had  with  these  fish. 


Bambala  Doorways 

The  doorway  of  the  Bambala  hut  is  a  small  oblong  opining.  There  is  a  special  knack  of  getting 
into  a  hut,  and  ihe  stranger  who  has  not  yet  acquired  ihis  so  neiime^  finds  him<^elf  unable  to  get  in 
or  out.  The  huts  of  the  Southern  Bambala  compare  favourably  wiih  those  of  many  tribes  as  far  as 
space  and  cleanliness  are  concerned. 


COLLECTING  A  VOCABULARY 

in  the  detachment  of  thirty  men,  was  deputed  to 
jump  on  him  and  hold  him  down,  while  the  rest 
formed  square  and  kept  the  people  at  a  distance. 
In  this  way  the  capture  was  eflFected  without  blood- 
shed. When  I  left  for  Europe  the  prisoner  was  just 
about  to  undergo  his  trial. 

In  Yee,  as  in  all  Bayaka  villages,  I  sat  down 
before  my  hut,  a  crowd  round  me,  with  whom  I  dis- 
cussed the  habits  and  customs  of  the  country.  My 
first  care  in  the  Bayaka  country  was  to  collect  a 
vocabulary.  As  I  was  near  the  Bambala  frontier 
most  people  understood,  more  or  less,  Kimbala ;  and 
if  one  of  my  informants  made  a  mistake,  the  others 
were  always  ready  to  correct  him.  In  order  to  stimu- 
late public  interest  I  provided  myself  with  a  packet 
of  sewing-needles ;  and  when  I  asked  in  Kimbala  the 
Bayaka  name  of  some  object,  the  first  man  to  give  it 
received  a  needle ;  if,  however,  he  told  me  a  wrong 
word,  he  had  to  surrender  one  of  those  previously 
earned,  and  the  reward  went  to  the  man  who  cor- 
rected him.  Thus  I  accumulated  my  vocabulary  at  a 
cost  of  about  twopence.  I  now  set  myself  to  learn 
the  words  off  by  heart ;  that  done,  I  listened  to  their 
conversations  among  themselves,  for  it  is  their  custom 
to  simplify  their  discourse  when  they  are  talking  to  a 
foreigner  in  order  to  make  it  more  comprehensible  to 
him.  In  a  short  time  I  was  able  to  follow  their  dis- 
cussions with  ease. 

Sometimes  our  nightly  gatherings  were  interrupted 
by  a  woman's  screams  coming  from  the  bush  some 
distance  away.    They  told  me  that  it  must  be  some 

145  K 


AN  AMATEUR  SPORTSMAN 

woman  whose  child  was  ill,  and  who  adopted  this  way 
of  driving  away  molohi,  to  whom  she  attributed  the 
illness. 

I  left  Yee  for  Zange,  distant  about  five  hours,  and 
our  march  led  us  across  two  rivers,  about  20  feet  broad, 
whose  beds  lay  respectively  800  and  1000  feet  below 
the  level  of  the  plateau,  which  was  still  rising.  These 
little  streams,  named  Kipokoko  and  Kibange,  are 
marvellously  clear,  and  great  numbers  of  fish  appa- 
rently 10  inches  or  a  foot  in  length  are  to  be  seen 
stemming  the  rapid  current.  At  the  sight  of  them 
my  thoughts  involuntarily  turned  to  my  many  English 
fishermen  friends,  whose  mouths  would  have  watered 
could  they  have  seen  this  well-stocked  stream,  with 
its  shoals  of  fish  ready  to  jump  at  any  and  every  fly. 

As  I  had  left  for  the  interior  without  food-stuff,  I 
had  to  manage  during  this  period  to  live  on  what  the 
country  could  offer  us.  There  was  no  wealthy  village 
near  by,  and  there  was  very  little  big  game  to  be  got. 
It  did  exist,  but  it  never  gave  us  the  chance  of  killing 
it.  But  then,  there  was  the  river !  I  was  rather 
disappointed  in  waterfowl,  as,  the  waters  being  high, 
all  the  sandbanks,  their  usual  haunts,  were  flooded. 
So,  apart  from  a  few  miserable  pigeons,  all  my  hope 
lay  in  fish.  The  waters  of  this  river  swarm  with 
excellent  fish,  and  the  only  question  was  how  to  get 
them.  I  had  once  seen  a  man  get  a  fish  in  the  follow- 
ing way  :  he  threw  some  putrid  meat  as  bait  into  the 
shallow  water  and  waited  with  his  gun. 

In  a  desperate  situation  like  mine  I  wanted  to 
give  this  new  sport  of  fish-shooting  a  fair  trial ;  but 

146 


AN  AMATEUR  SPORTSMAN 

my  first  difficulty  was  to  find  a  bait.  We  had  no 
meat,  putrid  or  other  ;  so  we  tried  palm  cherries.  No 
fish  ever  came  near  them,  and  this  hope  was  shattered. 
Then  I  remembered  that  some  friend  of  mine,  a  disciple 
of  Izaak  Walton,  had  induced  me  to  take  some  hooks 
with  me ;  after  a  long  search  we  found  quite  a  packet 
full  of  difi'erent  sizes.  I  at  once  chose  the  biggest : 
what  good,  thought  I,  was  it  to  waste  one's  time  over 
small  fish  when,  by  using  a  bigger  hook,  one  could 
catch  big  ones  ?  My  hook,  I  must  say,  looked  rather 
like  a  miniature  anchor,  and  I  was  sure  that  no  fish 
of  small  size  would  be  caught  by  it.  I  weighted  my 
line  with  a  huge  piece  of  lead,  and  then  tried  to  throw 
it  far  out  in  the  river.  I  am  sure  it  would  have  gone 
a  good  distance  had  not  the  hook  caught  in  the  ear 
of  an  interested  looker-on ;  but  not  much  harm  was 
done,  as  it  at  once  tore  through  the  lobe.  I  pacified 
the  native  to  whom  the  accident  had  happened  with 
a  small  present,  but  he  stoutly  refused  to  sell  me  his 
whole  ear  as  a  bait.  At  my  next  attempt  I  landed 
the  hook  in  a  tree,  and  at  the  next  it  tore  my  sleeve 
open.  I  was  going  to  give  it  up  and  tell  my  com- 
panion that  "  it  was  useless,  as  the  fish  would  not  rise 
to-day "  (a  term  I  have  heard  used  by  anglers,  but 
which,  I  am  told,  is  not  correct  when  ground-lines  are 
used),  when  my  cook,  with  a  benevolent  smile,  offered 
to  throw  the  line.  Having  duly  cursed  his  impudence, 
I  accepted  his  offer ;  but  did  not  allow  him  to  throw 
the  line  before  placing  myself  at  a  safe  distance.  He 
then  informed  me  that  I  had  forgotten  to  bait  the 
hook,  and  having  obtained  from  a  friend  some  native 

147 


TAKEN  UNAWARES 

dough  and  used  it  for  that  purpose,  out  went  his  line, 
about  100  feet  (as  far  as  I  could  judge)  from  the  bank. 
Now  I  came  back  and  took  hold  of  the  line,  for  if 
anything  was  caught  I  did  not  wish  to  lose  the 
credit  of  it.  Well,  I  waited,  and  waited,  and  waited. 
Nothing  came.  I  pulled  the  line  in  to  see  if  the  bait  was 
still  there.  It  was  there,  although  slightly  damaged. 
After  renewing  it  my  cook  threw  it  out  again.  After 
some  waiting  I  had  a  pull ;  I  quickly  hauled  in  the 
line,  but  soon  I  could  pull  no  more  ;  there  was  a  dead 
weight  against  me.  I  thought  I  must  have  caught  at 
least  a  whale.  My  cook  took  the  line  for  a  moment 
into  his  hand,  and  then  said,  with  a  smile :  "  You 
have  caught  nothing  alive  ;  your  hook  has  caught  in 
a  tree  floating  down  the  river."  So  it  was,  and  it 
took  him  nearly  half  an  hour  to  disentangle  it.  After 
this  I  wanted  to  give  up  fishing ;  but,  ashamed  of 
returning  empty-handed,  I  had  the  line  thrown  out 
again.  The  bank  was  sandy  and  had  a  gentle  slope  ; 
so  I  tied  the  line  firmly  to  my  leg,  lay  down  on  my 
back,  and  was  soon  dreaming  of  far-away  lands.  I  do 
not  know  how  long  I  dozed  in  this  way,  but  I  was 
suddenly  awakened  by  a  terrific  jerk  on  my  leg.  If 
that  was  not  a  bite,  then  there  never  was  one.  I 
tried  to  sit  up,  but  this  seemed  quite  an  impossible 
thing ;  and  then  I  was  suddenly  aware  that  I  was 
being  towed  down,  slowly  but  steadily,  towards  the 
water.  With  a  violent  efibrt  I  turned  round  to  see  if 
I  could  not  catch  hold  of  something,  but  the  bank 
was  absolutely  bare.  On  and  on  I  went,  pulled  by 
my  leg,  until  I  felt  the  water  penetrating  into  my 

148 


A  FINE  HAUL 

boots.  Then  I  shrieked  for  help.  This  woke  my 
cook,  but  before  he  could  get  near  me  I  was  in  the 
water  up  to  my  knees.  He  caught  hold  of  my  arms, 
but  could  not  impede  my  progress  towards  a  wet 
grave.  I  did  not  think  of  the  ignominy  of  the  situa- 
tion ;  my  whole  mind  was  concentrated  on  my  wish 
to  live.  I  still  kept  on  getting  deeper  and  deeper 
into  the  water,  when  suddenly  an  idea  came  to  me, 
which,  had  I  been  in  cool  blood,  ought  to  have  occurred 
to  me  at  once  :  "  Cut  the  line  ! "  I  screamed.  Well, 
he  did  cut  it ;  but  how  shall  I  describe  to  you  the 
agonies  I  felt  when,  after  searching  one  of  his  pockets, 
he  withdrew  his  hand  empty,  then  he  tried  the  other 
with  no  better  result ;  meanwhile  my  shoulders  were 
disappearing  under  water.  When  the  line  was  cut  I 
got  out  of  the  water  and  sat  down  silently,  quite 
stupefied.  My  cook  gazed  vaguely  into  the  water, 
when,  with  a  sudden  shout  of  triumph,  he  dived  into 
it.  "I  have  got  him  !  "  he  shouted,  swimming  vigo- 
rously towards  a  floating  tree.  The  fish  had  entangled 
the  line  in  its  branches,  and  we  could  clearly  see  how 
he  had  pulled  and  dragged  on  it,  with  little  effect ; 
the  giant  of  the  forest  was  a  match  for  the  giant  of  the 
waters.  The  cook  sat  triumphantly  on  the  tree,  wait- 
ing for  events  to  come.  When  the  tree  stuck  in  the  sand 
I  thought  the  line  could  never  resist  the  strain ;  but 
it  did,  and  two  hours  later  our  united  efforts  resulted 
in  our  landing  the  fish.  I  shall  not  give  you  his 
weight,  for  two  reasons :  first,  I  had  nothing  to 
weigh  him  with ;  secondly,  because  you  would  not 
believe  me. 

149 


BAYAKA  FETISHES 

The  fish,  fried  in  palm-oil,  made  an  excellent 
dinner. 

Zange  is  situated  about  200  yards  from  the 
Lukula  E/iver,  here  a  foaming  torrent,  60  feet 
broad.  Its  shores  are  absolutely  flat,  bordered  by 
grass  instead  of  trees  or  bush.  The  left  bank  of 
the  river  is  particularly  fertile,  and  to  this  may 
be  due  a  greater  density  of  population  than  I  found 
anywhere  since  leaving  Kolokoto.  Most  of  the 
plantations  of  the  villages  upon  the  right  bank  are 
situated  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 

Zange  is  more  than  a  village  ;  it  is  a  conglomera- 
tion of  hamlets,  in  which  every  man  seems  to  call 
himself  a  chief.  Anyone  who  has  two  wives  or  a 
slave  calls  himself  a  chief;  a  man  who  is  living  with 
two  or  three  children  calls  himself  a  chief.  But  the 
fact  is  that  they  are  free  men  with  Murikongo  as 
their  direct  over-lord,  and  the  assumption  of  the 
title  is  due  less  to  a  love  for  it  than  to  a  desire 
to  receive  presents  from  chance  Europeans. 

Zange  is  the  proud  possessor  of  two  Bayaka 
fetishes  of  very  great  importance — Kikunga  and 
Hemba — who  inhabit  a  single  hut.  The  villagers 
boasted  of  their  treasure,  but  when  I  expressed  a 
desire  to  inspect  it  they  said  that  it  was  too 
dangerous  for  a  foreigner  to  do  so ;  even  their  own 
boys  before  the  age  of  manhood  and  all  women  are 
not  permitted  to  see  them,  for  they  would  die  of 
fear,  so  terrible  are  these  images.  Of  course  this 
excited  my  curiosity,  and  at  last  two  men  called 
Tata  Chula  and  Tata  Chafu  promised  to  intercede 

150 


BAYAKA  FETISHES 

with  the  fetishman  in  my  favour.  After  interview- 
ing him  they  announced  that  he  was  prepared  to 
show  me  the  images,  but  that  I  must  make  an 
adequate  present  to  the  fetishes  to  avert  their  wrath. 
The  present  which  I  thereupon  despatched  seemed 
to  meet  the  views  of  the  custodian,  for  I  was  con- 
ducted to  the  hut.  When  I  arrived  there  all  women 
and  children  were  sent  away  and  the  sanctum  opened ; 
it  was  a  filthy  hut.  The  larger  image  was  a  mask 
about  3  feet  6  inches  high,  with  very  prominent 
nose,  jaw,  and  cheek-bones ;  the  other  fetish,  only 
about  1  foot  6  inches  high,  was  an  ordinary  mask. 
While  I  was  in  the  hut  I  began  to  feel  a  curious 
creeping  sensation  all  over  me,  and  when  I  dis- 
covered the  cause  I  hastily  retired  and  shouted  to 
Meyey  to  prepare  a  bath.  The  Bayaka  chuckled 
loudly  at  my  fate,  and  put  it  down  to  my  visiting 
the  image  without  being  a  Bayaka ;  how  they  them- 
selves fared  I  do  not  know,  probably  they  were 
already  so  well  provided  that  a  visit  to  the  hut 
made  no  appreciable  difference. 

In  my  haste  I  forgot  that  I  had  no  tub  with 
me,  so  I  had  no  resource  but  to  bathe  several  times 
in  the  river,  and  remove  my  uninvited  visitors  with 
abundance  of  soap  and  cold  water. 

The  next  morning,  after  receiving  the  chiefs  of 
some  of  the  neighbouring  villages,  I  set  out  to  visit 
the  Luye  River,  five  hours'  journey  to  the  west,  and 
hit  upon  it  just  at  the  beautiful  falls ;  but  as  I 
traversed  this  portion  of  the  country  only  on  this 
occasion  my  recollections  are  rather  vague,  and  I 

151 


RETURN  TO  MOSONGE 

abstain  from  any  detailed  description.  Game  was 
fairly  abundant,  and  small  hillocks  were  frequent. 

I  returned  vid  Kange  to  Yee,  and  then  made  my 
way  to  Mokunji,  a  Bambala  village  east  of  the  latter 
place,  situated  in  a  forest  of  goyave  trees.  It  is 
remarkable  for  the  great  number  of  good-looking 
girls  to  be  found  there,  and  its  chief,  Baka,  enjoys 
the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  greatest  lawyers 
of  the  country.  From  there  I  turned  northwards 
along  the  valley  of  the  Putumbo,  the  banks  of 
which  was  dazzlingly  white  sand,  and  made  my 
way  to  Putumbumba,  famous  for  its  basket-work, 
which  is  traded  to  all  parts  of  the  country,  and 
hence  to  Mosonge.  Kalala  came  to  meet  me,  dressed 
in  a  suit  of  my  clothes  and  with  my  best  hat  on 
his  head.  He  was  rather  indignant  when  I  re- 
proached him  with  this  breach  of  trust ;  he  replied 
that  he  had  done  it  to  please  me,  because  he  knew 
how  delighted  I  should  be  to  see  him  looking  so 
smart.  He  also  gave  me  an  account  of  the  extra- 
ordinary zeal  he  had  displayed  in  defending  my  pro- 
perty against  the  intended  attacks  of  neighbouring 
tribes.  But  when  I  met  the  chief  I  learned  from 
him  that  he  too  was  very  glad  to  see  me  back, 
because  he  had  not  had  any  sleep  while  I  was  away 
on  account  of  the  necessity  of  mounting  guard  over 
my  goods,  Kalala  being  always  away  in  neighbouring 
villages,  running  after  the  girls.  Kalala  attributed 
the  chiefs  action  to  jealousy,  and  added  that  it  really 
did  not  matter  either  way,  as  he  (Kalala)  had 
married  and  settled   down  now,  and  went  on  to 

152 


EXPLORING  THE  INTERIOR 

present  me  to  his  wife,  a  young  lady  of  about  nine 
years  of  age,  only  moderately  good-looking,  but  still 
well  enough,  yaw^e  de  mieux. 

I  paid  the  wages  of  my  three  boys  on  the  day 
of  my  return,  and  shortly  afterwards  Mrs.  Kalala 
came  to  complain  that  Kalala  had  given  her  only 
half  the  regulation  allowance  for  a  husband  to  give 
to  a  wife.  I  remonstrated  with  Kalala  on  the  sub- 
ject, but  he  calmly  replied,  "  Half-sized  wife,  half- 
sized  allowance."  The  idyll  did  not  last  very  long. 
While  the  honeymoon  was  still  in  progress  Kalala 
quarrelled  with  his  better  half,  got  a  sound  thrashing 
from  her,  and  was  chucked  out  of  her  hut,  which, 
indeed,  my  previous  experience  of  him  led  me  to  ex- 
pect as  the  result  of  his  new  matrimonial  adventure. 

A  few  days  after  my  return  I  wanted  to  go  south 
again,  but  I  had  to  get  some  Bayaka  carriers,  and 
no  Bambala  would  venture  through  the  Basamba 
country,  for  they  were  at  enmity  with  them,  and 
did  not  care  to  risk  their  lives.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances Kalala  volunteered  to  go  south  and  fetch 
the  necessary  men ;  I  told  him  that  he  did  not  know 
the  way,  and  would  certainly  be  killed  en  route. 
But  he  said  with  the  utmost  nonchalance  that  he 
could  ask  his  way,  and  would  get  there  all  right. 
I  was  unwilling  to  let  him  run  the  risk,  but  about 
half  an  hour  later  he  had  disappeared,  and  two  days 
later  he  turned  up  again,  having  traversed  the  hos- 
tile country,  taking  with  him  sufficient  food  for  his 
two  days'  journey,  with  thirty  Bayaka  from  Yee. 

In  all  I  made  six  journeys  to  the  Lukulu  during 

153 


EXPLORING  THE  INTERIOR 

my  stay  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  in  November 
1905  I  decided  to  return  to  the  Kwilu.  But  again 
the  carrier  diiBculty  had  to  be  met.  It  was  quite 
out  of  the  question  for  Bayaka  to  go  to  Kolokoto, 
and  to  fetch  men  from  the  Kwilu  it  was  necessary 
to  send  a  messenger.  Meyey  and  Kalala  offered 
to  carry  out  this  task,  and  with  some  misgivings  I 
allowed  them  to  set  out  on  their  difficult  journey. 
I  was  more  than  a  little  uneasy  while  they  were 
away,  but  about  a  week  later  they  duly  returned 
with  about  thirty  Kolokoto  carriers.  Kalala  reported 
that  he  had  huge  sport  in  his  village  ;  it  had  been 
reported  that  he  had  died  in  Mokunji  (as  a  matter 
of  fact  that  I  had  cut  his  throat),  and  his  mother, 
when  she  saw  him,  took  him  for  a  ghost ;  only  when 
he  began  to  eat  did  she  admit  that  he  was  her  own 
Kalala. 

On  the  way  back  to  Kolokoto  I  passed  some  Wan- 
gongo  villages,  whose  inhabitants,  with  the  Basamba 
and  Basongo,  have  the  honour  of  being  the  most 
ancient  stock  in  the  country. 

At  Kolokoto  I  learnt  that  Kikungulu  had  been 
at  work  again,  and,  as  before  mentioned,  had  poisoned 
his  own  sister.  Without  seeing  this  disgusting  in- 
dividual I  continued  my  journey.  At  the  distance 
of  about  an  hour  from  Kongo  I  halted  to  give  my 
men  a  rest,  and  Meyey  volunteered  to  go  on  to 
Kongo  to  see  about  the  camping  arrangements.  In 
about  an  hour  and  a  half  he  came  back  breathless 
to  tell  me  of  some  extraordinary  sights. 

In  the  first  place  the  river  was  of  enormous 

154 


EXPLORING  THE  INTERIOR 


breadth,  such  as  he  had  never  seen  before,  fully  a 
thousand  feet  across.  And  then  he  had  seen  upon 
it  a  house  with  something  behind  it,  turning,  turn- 
ing, turning,  and  it  moved  without  any  one  to  propel 
it;  finally  it  was  spitting  fire  from  a  big  thing 
standing  out  in  the  middle.  Upon  hearing  this 
report  Kalala,  who,  no  more  than  Meyey,  had  ever 
seen  such  a  big  river  nor  yet  a  steamer,  undertook 
to  explain  things  to  Meyey.  The  solution  which 
he  gave  after  inspection  of  the  steamer  was  that 
the  steersman  by  turning  the  wheel  caused  the  vessel 
to  move,  and  that  the  big  fire  was  simply  to  cook 
the  food  of  the  crew,  but  I  don't  think  Meyey  was 
convinced. 


155 


CHAPTER  X 


A  false  alarm — Braggadocio  and  the  result — Settling  in  Luano — A  mission 
of  peace — Strategy — A  successful  ruse — A  grand  palaver — Boma  to  the 
rescue. 

THE  Marie  was  going  up  stream,  so  I  had  to 
wait  several  days  for  her  to  take  me  to  Luano. 
The  evening  before  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  the 
Europeans  residing  in  Kongo  received  the  following 
message  brought  by  a  breathless  and  perspiring 
runner  from  Madibi :  "  Help  !  Help  !  The  country 
has  risen ;  some  of  my  men  have  been  killed,  and  I 
expect  to  be  attacked  every  moment.  I  fear  you  will 
come  too  late ;  good-bye,  perhaps  for  ever."  The 
missive  was  addressed  to  the  Resident  of  Kongo,  and 
he  showed  it  to  me.  He  was  anxious  to  start,  but  I 
pointed  out  that  we  should  save  time  by  waiting  for 
the  steamer ;  and  that  further,  so  far  as  my  know- 
ledge of  the  country  went,  the  news  was  absolutely 
incredible.  He  was  not  convinced,  however,  and  the 
excitement  of  the  news  brought  on  a  bad  attack  of 
fever.  On  the  following  day  I  convinced  him  that 
my  presence  in  Madibi  would  be  amply  sufficient  for 
the  occasion.  I,  therefore,  boarded  the  steamer,  and 
we  found  ourselves  at  our  destination  at  about  four 
in  the  afternoon.  Profound  peace  prevailed ;  there 
were  absolutely  no  signs  of  the  expected  attack. 
What  had  actually  happened  was  this:  Mr.  X.,  a 

156 


A  FALSE  ALARM 

resident  in  Madibi,  was  unable  to  keep  his  people 
under  proper  control.  Five  of  them  had  set  out  on  a 
marauding  expedition  into  the  interior,  the  so-called 
Banyangi  country,  appropriating  goats  and  fowls  ad 
lib.  The  Bayanzi  are  a  peaceful  people,  but  this 
tried  their  patience  too  far,  especially  as  the  women 
drove  them  on  to  take  revenge  by  suggesting  that, 
if  they  did  not  retaliate,  the  invaders,  five  strong, 
would  carry  off,  not  only  goats  and  fowls,  but  also 
women,  the  wives  of  the  male  inhabitants,  and  that 
they  would  follow  them  without  reluctance,  glad  to 
leave  such  cowards  who  did  not  really  deserve  to  pos- 
sess wives,  if  they  could  not  deal  with  this  handful  of 
men.  Roused  by  these  insults  the  men  set  upon  the 
marauders  and  killed  four  of  them,  while  the  fifth 
escaped  to  tell  the  news  in  Madibi.  Mr.  X.  was  in 
mortal  terror,  and  summoned  assistance  in  hot  haste. 
It  is  satisfactory  to  add  that  he  was  brought  before 
the  magistrate,  who  held  him  responsible  for  the 
occurrences,  and  sentenced  him  to  six  months'  im- 
prisonment. 

The  circumstances,  however,  only  came  out  much 
later.  The  account  which  I  got  from  Mr.  X.  was 
that  five  of  his  men  had  been  attacked  ;  that  he 
had  sallied  out  to  their  aid,  and,  after  many  lion- 
hearted  deeds,  had  only  succeeded  in  rescuing  one. 
Now  Mr.  X.  did  not  understand  that  it  is  very  dan- 
gerous to  exaggerate  in  Congoland,  as  the  following 
true  story  will  make  clear. 

Some  years  ago  an  official,  having  completed  his 
term  of  service,  was  on  his  way  down  the  river,  and 

157 


BRAGGADOCIO  AND  THE  RESULT 


expected  to  reach  Europe  in  a  few  weeks.  One  even- 
ing he  was  having  a  drink  at  Matadi  in  company 
with  some  greenhorns,  whom  he  resolved  to  impress 
with  his  marvellous  exploits.  Accordingly,  he  began 
to  tell  of  his  encounters  with  the  natives,  and  the 
more  beer  he  drank  the  more  blood-curdling  did  his 
adventures  become  ;  naturally  the  natives  came  off 
badly  in  these  adventures,  and  he  did  not  display 
any  particular  respect  for  their  rights  in  his  supposed 
dealings  with  them.  As  ill-luck  would  have  it,  a 
high  Government  official  was  also  taking  a  quiet  glass 
of  beer  in  the  same  house  and  overheard  the  conver- 
sation, with  the  result  that  our  fire-eater  was  arrested 
by  a  police-officer  the  next  morning,  and  charged  with 
numerous  offences  against  the  blacks,  the  indictment 
being  simply  a  reproduction  of  the  stories  he  had  told 
on  the  previous  evening.  He  protested  his  innocence, 
saying  that  it  was  all  braggadocio,  merely  meant  to 
impress  the  greenhorns ;  but  all  to  no  purpose.  He 
was  told  that  some  inquiry  must  certainly  be  made. 

Now  the  post  at  which  he  had  been  stationed 
could  be  reached  without  difficulty  in  some  three 
months  from  Matadi ;  he  remained,  therefore,  for  six 
months  cooling  his  heels  there,  and  for  as  much 
longer  as  the  magistrate  of  his  old  district  required 
to  investigate  the  truth  of  the  stories  which  the  bold 
adventurer  had  told  against  himself.  They  all  proved 
to  be  inventions,  and  he  was  allowed  to  go  home  after 
a  delay  of  about  seven  or  eight  months. 

To  come  back  to  Madibi ;  I  slept  the  night  there, 
and,  of  course,  there  was  not  the  shadow  of  an  attack 

158 


Bayanzi  women  have  to  a  great  extent  adopted  Northern  Bambala  fashion  :  there  are,  however,  still 
some  who  adhere  to  older  customs.  Thus  some  ladies  still  shave  the  summit  of  the  head  and  let  the 
baXi  grow  only  on  the  back  of  it,  arranging  it  there  into  cords  with  soot  and  palm  oil. 


SETTLING  IN  LUANO 

upon  us  ;  so,  when  I  took  my  leave  the  next  day  to 
go  to  Luano,  I  told  Mr.  X.  that  he  had  muddled 
things  badly,  and  would  have  to  pay  the  penalty, 
which,  in  fact,  proved  to  be  the  case. 

About  nine  in  the  morning  we  arrived  in  Luano, 
which  was  to  be  my  abode  for  several  months.  The 
settlement  is  beautifully  situated ;  the  shore  rises 
about  1 5  feet,  and  on  the  top  of  the  bank  is  a  clearing 
of  some  300  yards  square,  whereon  are  buildings  and 
plantations  of  coffee  and  mango  trees  against  a  back- 
ground of  dark  forest.  On  the  right  and  left  of  the 
clearing  are  houses  for  the  use  of  visitors,  and  store- 
houses for  goods.  In  the  middle,  fronting  the  river, 
is  the  house  which  was  to  shelter  me,  a  palace  com- 
prising three  rooms,  each  12  to  15  feet  square.  About 
100  yards  behind  the  settlement  is  a  small  native 
village,  also  called  Luano,  the  inhabitants  of  which 
are  Bayanzi. 

The  settlement  of  Luano  is  about  ten  years  old. 
It  would  be  exceedingly  prosperous  but  for  the  great 
difficulty  of  obtaining  labour.  The  population  is  ex- 
ceptionally dense,  but  up  to  the  present  they  have 
never  shown  any  disposition  to  sell  their  labour  to  the 
white  man,  and  all  workmen  have  had  to  be  imported 
from  the  Kasai. 

My  first  care  was  to  issue  a  notice  that  anyone 
who  was  ill,  and  wished  to  be  cured,  had  only  to  call 
and  he  would  receive  treatment.  Numerous  patients 
came,  and  they  fell  into  three  classes :  the  first  and 
smallest  asked  how  much  they  would  have  to  pay 
for  the  cure ;  the  second  said  that  it  was  out  of  the 

159 


MEDICAL  ADVICE 

question  for  them  to  pay  anything  even  if  they  were 
set  on  their  legs  again  ;  while  the  third  inquired  what 
I  was  prepared  to  pay  for  the  privilege  of  curing 
them.  I  did  not  gratify  them  by  producing  a  scale 
of  fees. 

My  pharmacopoeia  was  not  very  extensive  ;  Meyey 
assisted  me  in  dispensing  and  diagnosing,  and  when 
a  native  came  to  see  me  he  would  inquire  what  was 
the  matter.  The  ordinary  reply  was  to  touch  first 
the  head  and  then  the  stomach,  and  he  promptly 
ordered  Epsom  Salts ;  and,  in  fact,  most  of  the  ail- 
ments were  due  to  indigestion. 

My  efforts  on  their  behalf  gained  me  the  goodwill 
of  the  natives,  and  soon  they  began  to  come  and  see 
me  to  have  a  quiet  chat,  and  not  merely  when  they 
wished  for  medical  advice.  It  was  in  the  course  of 
these  visits  that  I  heard  what  had  really  happened 
in  Madibi.  A  great  subject  of  conversation  was  the 
month-long  war  then  raging  between  the  Bayanzi 
on  one  side  and  the  Bambala  and  Wangongo  on  the 
other.  This  seemed  to  be  a  serious  matter  for  the 
country,  and  I  resolved  to  intervene  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment.  I  was  confirmed  in  this  resolution 
by  a  conversation  with  Boma,  chief  of  Luzubi,  and 
leader  of  one  of  the  contending  parties,  who  said 
that  if  I  would  arbitrate  he  was  quite  prepared  to 
submit  to  my  judgment.  Of  course,  as  he  explained 
matters,  the  Bayanzi  were  entirely  in  the  wrong,  but 
I  told  him  that  it  was  out  of  the  question  for  me  to 
judge  without  hearing  the  other  party.  He  quite 
agreed  with  me,  and  urged  me  to  penetrate  to  the 

160 


Framework  ok  a  House 


When  a  house  is  lo  be  built,  a  framework  is  first  erected,  antl  this  is  then  covered  with  grass.  It 
is  a  curious  fact  that  village  fires  are  a  rare  occurrence,  as  the  people  keep  a  fire  going  all  night,  and 
no  special  precautions  are  taken  to  avoid  conflacirations. 


Weikd  Village  Charms 

The  village  charms  are  of  the  weirdest  description.  A  heap  uf  stone*  surrounded  by  canework, 
a  few  skulls  of  animals  slain,  the  shell  of  a  landrail  dyed  red,  and  such-like  things  have  great 
magical  powers  attributed  lo  ihetii. 


A  MISSION  OF  PEACE 


Bayanzi  country  and  persuade  them  to  choose  me  as 
arbitrator. 

After  getting  fairly  settled  in  Luano  I  collected 
carriers  and  set  out  on  my  mission  of  peace.  My  first 
care  was  to  visit  the  district  of  Luzubi  and  get  the 
assent  of  Boma's  own  people,  for  I  knew  that  even  a 
great  chief  was  dependent  on  his  men.  I  summoned  a 
great  milonga,  to  which  all  warriors  were  called,  and 
two  days  elapsed  before  all  had  come  together.  As  I 
speak  Kimbala  fluently  I  had  not  much  difiiculty  in 
bending  them  to  my  views.  I  addressed  them  very 
differently  from  the  way  in  which  I  should  have 
addressed  a  European  audience.  It  is  no  use  appeal- 
ing directly  to  their  reason  with  arguments  based  on 
the  relative  advantages  of  the  various  courses  :  the 
native  mind  is  accustomed  to  allegories,  and  to  argue 
successfully  with  a  native  audience  it  is  necessary  to 
draw  one's  illustrations  from  their  daily  life. 

On  leaving  Luzubi  we  proceeded  south-east,  and 
after  about  an  hour's  march  reached  an  open  space, 
bordered  by  two  rivers,  on  which  the  fights  usually 
took  place.  Progress  was  slow  after  crossing  the 
second  river,  for  the  land  being  in  a  state  of  war, 
all  preparations  had  been  made  to  receive  an  enemy. 
The  grass  was  6  feet  high  and,  on  either  side  of  the 
path,  only  a  foot  broad,  were  sharp  stakes,  pointing 
in  the  direction  from  which  we  were  coming,  which 
would  infallibly  impale  the  incautious  traveller  who 
wandered  from  the  straight  road.  In  the  centre  of 
the  path  were  carefully  masked  man-traps,  holes 
3  feet  deep  by  a  foot  broad  and  2  feet  long,  too 

161  L 


A  MISSION  OF  PEACE 

small  to  permit  the  victim  to  fall  completely  into 
them,  but  containing  five  pointed  stakes  which  seldom 
fail  to  pierce  his  feet.  My  feet  being  protected  by 
boots,  I  led  the  way,  trying  at  each  step  whether  the 
ground  was  solid.  Near  the  village  of  Gangan  was 
a  specially  elaborate  device  :  in  the  centre  of  the  path 
was  an  ordinary  man-trap,  the  covering  of  grass  and 
sand  removed  as  if  by  accident,  but  the  unwary 
traveller  who  took  warning  at  this  and  stepped  aside 
was  plunged  into  one  or  other  of  two  much  larger 
pitfalls  in  the  bush  on  either  side.  Farther  on  a 
little  hillock,  with  three  arrows  stuck  in  it  and  point- 
ing in  the  direction  of  the  village,  formed  a  plain 
indication  to  the  natives  and  those  who  understood 
their  language  that  entrance  was  forbidden. 

When  we  approached  the  village  we  found  that 
all  grass  and  bush  had  been  burned  down  in  a  circuit 
of  several  hundred  yards,  so  as  to  give  from  the 
higher  ground  on  which  the  village  stood  a  clear  view 
of  any  attempted  attack.  Of  course  our  approach 
had  been  signalled  some  time  before  we  emerged  on 
the  open  space,  and  as  soon  as  we  stepped  into  it 
some  hundreds  of  warriors  rushed  out  of  the  village, 
their  bows  at  the  ready,  pulling  and  relaxing  their 
bow-strings  alternately,  as  if  they  were  intending 
every  moment  to  let  fly  their  arrows. 

My  carriers  to  a  man  threw  their  loads  away  and 
decamped.  I  was  left  alone  with  Meyey  and  Bokale, 
and  the  former  rushed  up  with  my  rifle,  but  I  told 
him  to  put  it  down,  bring  my  hammock-chair,  and 
prepare  for  camping.    I  sat  down,  lit  a  cigarette,  and 

162 


STRATEGY 


took  no  notice  of  the  threatening  Bayanzi  warriors, 
who  seemed  to  be  quite  bewildered  by  my  behaviour. 
One  man  advanced  and  shouted  out  to  know  who  I 
was  and  what  I  wanted.  I  repHed  that  I  was  a 
European,  by  name  Deke  {i.e.  a  bird),  a  name  which 
I  had  got  from  the  Swahih-speaking  people,  among 
whom  I  had  collected  many  bird  skins.  I  said  I  had 
business  with  the  chief,  and  when  they  asked  if  I 
did  not  know  they  were  at  war  I  replied  that  I  did, 
but  failed  to  see  what  concern  it  was  of  mine ;  I  was 
not  at  war  with  them. 

The  next  question  was  whether  I  had  any  soldiers 
with  me ;  but  I  said  I  had  none,  and  pointed  out 
that  even  my  own  rifle  was  lying  on  the  ground 
some  distance  away  from  me.  Thereupon  he  proposed 
to  go  and  ask  the  chief  what  was  to  be  done  and  I 
agreed.  Returning  in  a  very  short  time,  from  which 
I  judged  that  the  chief  was  in  hiding  not  far  off, 
he  asked  if  I  was  prepared  to  go  to  the  village 
accompanied  by  my  two  boys  only.  I  said  that  I  did 
not  propose  to  do  anything  else,  and  the  messenger 
was  so  far  satisfied  that  he  came  up,  apologised  for 
the  suspicions  with  which  I  had  been  received,  which 
he  excused  by  their  fear  of  their  enemies'  stratagems, 
and  led  me  to  the  village. 

Here  I  met  Chitutu,  an  important  chief  of  this 
district,  who  also  had  a  reputation  as  one  of  the 
greatest  workers  of  magic  in  the  country.  The 
viEage  is  composed  of  about  seventy  huts ;  but  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  it  is  inhabited  exclusively 
by  Chitutu,  his  family,  and  his  slaves.    His  subjects 

163 


STRATEGY 


are  all  in  neighbouring  villages.  We  exchanged 
presents,  and  I  added  a  small  extra  gift  to  be  presented 
to  his  fetishes  ;  this  greatly  delighted  and  astonished 
him,  coming  from  a  European.  We  carried  on  a  con- 
versation for  some  time,  his  prime  minister  Moama 
acting  as  interpreter,  and  Bokale,  who  spoke  Bayanzi 
well,  checked  his  interpretation  on  my  behalf. 

I  explained  the  reason  of  my  coming,  and  Chitutu 
seemed  quite  disposed  to  arrange  matters  with  the 
Bambala,  but  he  was  greatly  incensed  against  the 
Wangongo,  who  had,  he  said,  simply  joined  in  the 
war  for  the  sake  of  the  spoil  which  would  fall  to 
their  share,  and  had,  in  addition,  shown  themselves 
to  be  very  treacherous.  He  said  he  had  the  greatest 
respect  for  Boma,  who  was  and  is  his  friend,  but  he 
really  could  not  understand  how  such  a  great  man 
could  lower  himself  by  associating  with  the  Wan- 
gongo. His  Bambala  prisoners  from  the  village  of 
Luzubi  he  had  simply  kept  interned  in  his  village, 
but  if  ever  a  Wangongo  fell  into  his  hands  he  would 
promptly  be  cut  up  and  eaten. 

He  was,  however,  disposed  to  summon  a  milonga, 
although,  as  he  said,  his  people  were  some  of  them 
far  away,  as  they  extended  as  far  as  the  Kancha, 
twenty  miles  as  the  crow  flies  and  forty  by  the  native 
paths,  that  is  to  say,  ten  or  twelve  hours'  march 
distance.  Then  he  retired,  and  a  few  minutes  later 
I  saw  the  messengers  going  off  in  all  directions.  The 
villagers'  confidence  was  not  yet  completely  won, 
and  I  saw  women  and  children  peeping  from  behind 
houses,  so  I  had  recourse  to  a  sovereign  remedy  in 

164 


A  SUCCESSFUL  RUSE 

such  cases — curiosity.  Sitting  down  I  took  out  an 
old  number  of  the  Graphic  and  began  to  inspect  the 
pictures  with  much  deliberation.  Holding  it  so  that 
they  were  visible  to  others  too,  I  noticed  that  the 
crowd  gradually  crept  nearer  and  nearer,  till  at  last 
they  began  to  make  audible  comments  upon  what 
they  saw. 

Singularly  enough,  they  did  not  seem  to  take  in 
the  picture  as  a  whole,  but  recognised  first  a  face, 
then  a  hat,  then  a  stick,  till  at  last  they  exclaimed : 
"  Why,  it's  a  man."  Undoubtedly  the  great  success 
of  the  exhibition  was  the  advertisement  of  Monkey 
Brand  Soap ;  the  monkey  was  instantly  recognised, 
and  when  we  went  on  to  other  pictures  they  con- 
tinually begged  me  to  turn  back  to  that  funny 
monkey,  upon  all  the  features  of  which  they  com- 
mented with  the  utmost  appreciation. 

I  must  not,  however,  allow  my  readers  to  suppose 
that  this  use  of  illustrated  papers  was  due  to  my 
own  ingenuity.  Years  before  that  great  traveller 
and  administrator,  Sir  H.  H.  Johnson,  had  pointed 
out  to  me  how  useful  it  was  for  the  traveller  among 
uncivilised  nations  to  have  a  stock  of  such  pictures 
by  him. 

Moama  pointed  out  to  me  among  the  crowd  a 
particularly  beautiful  girl,  who,  he  said,  was  his  wife ; 
I  asked  her  name,  but  he  refused  to  tell  me.  It 
appeared  that  no  one  but  the  brother  or  the  husband 
of  a  married  woman  is  permitted  to  use  her  name ; 
she  must  always  be  called  the  wife  of  So-and-so,  and 
any  breach  of  this  rule  on  the  part  of  an  unauthorised 

165 


A  GRAND  PALAVER 

person  justifies  the  husband  in  taking  the  law  into 
his  own  hands  and  killing  the  offender.  When  I 
asked  whether  he  would  do  so  if  a  European  were 
the  culprit,  he  laughed  and  said,  "  Oh  no,  you  see 
Europeans  have  no  manners." 

By  the  next  day  many  hundreds  of  warriors  had 
arrived,  though  not  nearly  all  were  present  who 
acknowledged  Chitutu  as  their  chief.    The  palaver 
lasted  two  whole  days  and  my  patience  was  sorely 
tried.    The  leader  of  the  opposition  was  a  Monguli 
chief,  who  pointed  out  that  the  Bayanzi  had  always 
shown  too  much  generosity  to  their  foes  ;  on  this 
occasion  at  any  rate  they  ought  to  fight  it  out,  he 
said.    The  sun  was  already  approaching  the  horizon 
for  the  second  time  and  no  progress  had  been  made, 
thanks  to  the  vigorous  speeches  of  this  orator.  Losing 
my  patience,  I  addressed  them  in  the  following  terms : 
"Do  not  listen  to  this  bad  man.    He  thinks  only  of 
the  Bambala  and  Wangongo  warriors  whom  you  will 
slay  ;  he  does  not  remind  you  of  the  Bayanzi  men  who 
will  meet  their  death  ;  nor  does  he  call  up  before  your 
minds  the  picture  of  the  unhappy  Bayanzi  women 
harassed  in  their  plantations  and  perhaps  carried  off 
by  your  foes."    After  this  the  chief  said  no  more  and 
the  palaver  was  soon  brought  to  a  satisfactory  con- 
clusion.   When  all  was  over  he  came  up  to  me  and 
said,  "  Deke,  you  have  called  me  a  bad  man,  because  I 
expressed  my  opinions  with  which  you  did  not  agree. 
I  only  said  what  I  thought  right.    If  you  did  not 
want  to  hear  the  views  of  people  with  whom  you  do 
not  agree  why  did  you  call  a  palaver  ? "     I  am 

166 


BOMA  TO  THE  RESCUE 

compelled  to  admit  that  he  was  right,  and  I  felt 
more  than  a  little  ashamed  of  myself,  but  there  was 
no  enmity  between  us  on  the  score  of  my  remarks, 
and  we  became  very  good  friends  later  on. 

The  palaver  was  hardly  over  when  the  Wanguli 
warriors  arrived  who  had  been  summoned  to  it,  but 
failed  to  arrive  in  time.  Chitutu  resolved  to  impress 
me  with  his  greatness,  and  commanded  them  to  defile 
before  me.  They  were  in  full  war  dress,  their  loins 
encircled  by  the  Kimpusu,  their  faces  painted  red,  and 
their  bows  and  curious  broad-bladed  short  knives  in 
their  hands.  I  had  the  sun  behind  my  back,  and  its 
rays  lit  up  the  painted  faces  till  they  glowed  still 
more  ruddily.  They  surged  past  me  in  a  solid  mass, 
ten  or  twelve  men  in  each  rank  and  a  hundred  and 
fifty  deep,  waving  their  bows  and  brandishing  their 
knives  to  the  accompaniment  of  frantic  yells  and  war- 
songs.  It  was  a  sea  of  black  humanity,  and  I  do  not 
think  I  ever  saw  a  more  magnificent  sight  in  my  life. 

I  stayed  one  more  day  in  Gangan  and  then  set  out 
for  Luano,  but  as  usual  carriers  were  a  difficulty. 
The  Bayanzi  were  ready  to  take  my  goods  as  far  as 
the  first  of  the  two  rivers,  and  there,  they  said,  it 
was  the  business  of  the  Bambala  to  take  up  the  loads. 
The  Bambala,  on  the  other  hand,  were  by  no  means 
prepared  to  cross  the  field  of  so  many  well-fought 
frays,  and  declined  to  pass  the  river  which  was  the 
boundary  on  their  side.  I  was  thus  in  danger  of 
being  stranded  when  Boma,  with  magnificent  courage, 
came  to  my  rescue.  Advancing  boldly  across  the 
battle-field,  he  grasped  each  Bayanzi  by  the  hand  and 

167 


BOMA  TO  THE  RESCUE 

shook  it.  The  peace  had  been  agreed  upon,  but  each 
of  the  contending  parties  had  so  far  mistrusted  the 
other.  This  action  on  the  part  of  Boma  set  the  seal 
upon  the  treaty,  and  as  long  as  I  remained  in  the 
country  there  was  no  outbreak  of  hostilities  between 
the  old  enemies. 


168 


CHAPTER  XI 


The  Bahnana  tribe — Tribal  rites  and  customs — Methods  of  Warfare — Original 
theories— Head-dress — Characteristics — Establishing  villages — A  revolt- 
ing ceremony. 

THE   inhabitants   of  the   region  of  Luano  are, 
apart  from  the  Bambala,  chiefly  Bahuana  and 
Bayanzi. 

The  Bahuana  territory  lies  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Kwilu  from  near  Kitwit  to  beyond  Luano.  Bahuana 
communities  are  also  found  on  the  left  bank  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Inzia,  at  Kongo  and  elsewhere.  They 
claim  descent  from  the  Bateke,  most  of  whom  are  in 
French  territory,  but  so  far  there  is  no  evidence 
beyond  tribal  tradition. 

They  are  a  well-built  people,  rather  short  however  ; 
it  cannot  be  said  that  they  equal  the  Bakongo  in 
powers  of  endurance,  but  they  are  able  to  do  without 
food  for  forty-eight  hours  at  a  time.  So  far  from 
being  coal-black,  as  the  average  man  pictures  the 
inhabitant  of  Africa,  their  skin  may  be  called  reddish 
brown  to  chocolate  ;  their  eyes  are  of  course  dark,  and 
there  is  a  curious  greenish  tinge  in  them,  while  the 
"  white "  of  the  eye  is  strongly  tinged  with  yellow. 
Their  hair,  too,  difiers  markedly  in  some  cases  from 
that  of  the  typical  Kongo  black  ;  it  is,  as  a  rule,  woolly 
and,  of  course,  black,  but  sometimes  individuals  are 

169 


THE  BAHUANA  TRIBE 

found  who  have  dark  brown  curly  hair,  very  fine  in 
texture,^and  far  rounder  in  section  than  typical  African 
hair. 

The  clothing  of  the  Bahuana  is  simple  and,  unlike 
many  African  tribes,  their  ornaments  are  few ;  both 
sexes  wear  a  cloth  made  of  palm-leaf  fibre  round  the 
loins,  and  important  men  wear  a  second  cloth  over  the 
first ;  but  there  are  no  patterns  on  the  cloth,  though 
they  import  from  the  Bayanzi  a  similar  article  with 
inwoven  diaper  patterns.  Women  sometimes  orna- 
ment the  straw-coloured  kipussu  cloth  with  a  few 
beads  and  a  number  of  small  receptacles  made  from 
necks  of  gourds. 

Women  dress  their  hair  in  a  chignon  or  ringlets 
at  the  back  of  the  head,  and  paint  it  with  red  clay ; 
the  front  of  the  head  is  shaved  and  blackened  with 
soot ;  when  they  cut  their  hair  they  wear  a  piece  of 
cloth  as  a  head  covering  till  the  hair  has  grown  again  ; 
but,  as  a  rule,  no  head-dress  is  worn.  Eyebrows  are 
shaved,  eyelashes  are  pulled  out.  The  men  remove 
the  beard  and  moustache  when  they  are  young ;  older 
men  grow  a  scanty  beard,  but  the  majority  shave  the 
moustache. 

Apart  from  scars  and  body-painting  the  only  orna- 
ments are  iron  bracelets,  combs,  and  a  hair  of  an 
elephant's  tail  round  a  man's  neck.  The  few  scars 
worn  occasionally  by  men  are  round  the  navel ;  but 
the  women  usually  incise  the  arms,  shoulders,  and 
stomach,  and  produce  big  lumps  of  flesh.  The  opera- 
tion is  performed  at  the  age  of  about  four  or  five  by 
the  mother  or  some  skilled  operator.    The  pigments 

170 


TRIBAL  RITES  AND  CUSTOMS 

used  for  body-painting  are  red  clay  and  soot ;  these 
are  mixed  with  palm-oil. 

The  food  of  the  Bahuana  does  not  differ  from  that 
of  the  Bambala,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  what 
has  been  said  in  an  earlier  chapter.  It  may,  however, 
be  mentioned  that  the  women  eat  frogs,  whence  the 
tribe  is  termed  koto  (froggies)  by  the  Bambala  ;  the 
men,  however,  must  abstain  from  frogs  under  penalty 
of  sickness. 

Cannibalism  is  general  in  spite  of  the  abundance 
of  animal  food,  but  it  is  practised  by  men  only.  The 
larder  is  replenished  by  expeditions  organised  with 
this  special  purpose ;  the  bodies  are  cooked  in  the 
ordinary  way,  but  the  skull  is  soaked  in  water  till  the 
flesh  falls  away,  and  it  is  then  reserved  as  a  trophy  in 
a  special  hut. 

Before  a  hunting  expedition  the  hunting  medicine 
— a  little  charcoal  kept  in  a  bag — is  sprinkled  with 
palm-wine,  and  if  the  expedition  is  successful,  grass 
dipped  in  the  blood  of  the  game  is  presented  to  it. 
The  drives  are  organised  by  the  chief  and  directed  by 
some  experienced  sportsman  ;  the  entire  male  popula- 
tion takes  part,  and  the  method  is  to  fire  the  grass. 
The  man  who  inflicts  the  first  wound  receives  the 
head  of  the  animal,  and,  if  it  is  an  elephant,  the  ivory 
goes  with  the  head,  but  half  is  due  to  the  chief ;  this 
is,  of  course,  with  the  exception  of  those  parts  of  the 
country  where  the  head  is  paid  as  tribute  to  the 
Bayanzi  chief.  ^ 

Agriculture  is,  as  usual,  the  business  of  the  women, 
but  in  this  tribe  the  plantations  are  communal  pro- 

171 


TRIBAL  RITES  AND  CUSTOMS 

perty ;  individual  gardens,  except  for  tobacco,  are 
unknown  ;  when  anyone  wants  cassava  or  some  other 
product,  he  simply  takes  it  from  the  common  stock. 
In  Europe  there  would  probably  be  some  idlers,  if  the 
cultivators  knew  that  shirking  would  not  affect,  to 
any  great  extent,  the  quantity  available  for  their  per 
sonal  use  ;  but  this  is  not  the  way  with  the  blacks. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  huts,  one  like  that  of  the 
Bambala,  the  other  like  that  of  the  Bayanzi,  built  of 
straw  and  palm-leaves  on  a  rectangular  ground-plan, 
the  transverse  section  forming  a  pointed  arch.  In 
front  is  a  verandah,  and  the  interior  is  divided  into 
two  compartments.  The  villages  are  built  some  dis- 
tance from  the  river  bank  and  are  rather  straggling ; 
the  huts  of  the  wives  of  each  family  are  built  in  an 
irregular  quadrangle  communicating  with  the  next 
group  by  a  narrow  path. 

Assemblies  are  held  in  the  middle  of  the  village 
among  the  Bahuana  proper,  under  a  roof  supported 
on  four  poles  ;  among  the  Bahoni,  south  of  the  Luzubi, 
they  are  held  beneath  a  kola  tree. 

Bahuana  arts  and  crafts  are  much  the  same  as 
those  of  the  Bambala,  but  their  iron- work  is  far 
superior ;  the  northern  part  of  the  tribe  imports  iron 
from  the  south,  and  they  produce  knives,  hoes,  axes, 
arrow-heads,  bracelets,  &c. 

Property  can  be  held  by  any  adult  free  person, 
but  slaves  can  own  nothing,  and  consequently  cannot 
redeem  them  themselves.  The  debtor  cannot  be 
seized  as  bondsman,  but  his  children,  or  a  wife  who 
has  borne  him  a  child,  may  be  taken. 

172 


TRIBAL  RITES  AND  CUSTOMS 

If  a  man  dies  without  heirs  his  goods  do  not  pass 
to  a  slave,  as  among  the  Bayaka ;  they  are  burnt,  but 
the  slaves  receive  their  freedom. 

When  the  Bahuana  first  reached  the  Kwilu  they 
were  under  one  supreme  chief,  but  his  authority  has  now 
fallen  into  disuse,  owing  to  the  extent  of  the  territory 
over  which  the  tribe  extends,  and  in  some  parts  only 
the  village  chiefs  are  recognised.  Their  position  is 
not  an  easy  one,  for  all  free  adult  males  of  the  village 
form  their  council,  which  must  be  consulted  in  all 
matters  of  importance ;  in  theory  he  is  free  to  act, 
but  in  practice  the  majority  of  the  council  has  the 
deciding  voice.  The  office  of  chief  is  hereditary,  and 
the  son  of  the  eldest  sister  is  his  heir ;  the  maternal 
uncle  acts  as  guardian  to  a  minor.  The  principal 
function  of  the  chief  is  to  administer  justice,  and  his 
sole  income  is  derived  from  the  fines  inflicted  in  this 
capacity.  North  of  Chimbane,  where  the  great  chief 
is  recognised,  a  nominal  tribute  is  levied,  consisting  of 
a  few  goats  or  fowls  from  each  village  ;  he  has  the 
decision  of  matters  relating  to  peace  or  war. 

A  Bahuana  son-in-law  may  not  enter  the  house  of 
his  parents-in-law,  and  if  he  meets  them  on  the  road 
he  must  turn  aside  so  as  to  avoid  them.  A  daughter- 
in-law,  on  the  other  hand,  may  visit  her  parents-in- 
law,  and  is  required  to  show  them  great  respect ;  but 
she  must  avoid  her  husband's  maternal  uncle. 

When  they  go  to  war  the  men  above  ten  years 
of  age  are  summoned  by  the  war  drum.  The  chief 
is  the  leader,  but  there  is  a  council  composed  of  chiefs 
and  elders ;  the  young  men  may  attend,  but  must 

173 


METHODS  OF  WARFARE 

keep  silence.  Sometimes  an  ambassador  is  needed, 
and  the  chief  acts  in  this  capacity,  his  person  being 
respected  by  the  enemy. 

A  war  party  marches  in  single  file,  the  younger 
and  less  valorous  in  front.  A  fight  is  usually  begun 
by  exchanging  insults,  but  the  conflicts  are  limited 
to  the  open  and  villages  are  not  attacked.  Ambushes 
are,  however,  employed,  and  the  foe  may  be  invited 
to  settle  matters  by  arrangement  and  then  treacher- 
ously attacked.  No  male  prisoners  are  made,  anyone 
falling  into  the  hands  of  his  foes  being  at  once  killed 
and  eaten ;  but  women  are  kept  in  captivity  till  the 
end  of  the  war. 

A  dead  man  is  buried  with  his  face  to  the  west 
in  a  sitting  position,  and  with  him  his  clothes  and 
weapons  with  some  food  and  palm-wine ;  if  he  was  a 
maker  of  palm-wine,  his  implements  are  buried  with 
him.  Women  are  buried  in  the  same  manner,  but 
their  pots  are  buried  with  them,  whereas  in  the  case 
of  a  man  they  are  broken  on  the  grave.  A  man 
killed  by  lightning  is  bm'ied  full  length  on  his  back. 
Men  in  mourning  paint  the  forehead  black,  women  the 
whole  face. 

There  are  two  non-corporeal  parts  of  a  man,  the 
hun  and  the  doshi  ;  all  creatures  have  the  latter ;  it 
leaves  the  body  in  dreams,  and  after  death  hangs 
about  in  the  air,  visits  its  friends,  haunts  its  enemies, 
and  so  on ;  animals  and  fetishes  have  doshi  but 
no  bu7i. 

The  hun  disappears  at  death,  but  it  is  said  to 
enter  the  body  of  a  large  animal  if  its  owner  has  had 

174 


ORIGINAL  THEORIES 


many  fetishes ;  a  man  without  fetishes  can  cause  his 
hun  to  appear  to  his  friends  in  the  form  of  a  vaporous 
body.  If  a  man  is  killed  by  lightning  his  hun  is 
destroyed,  but  suicide  does  not  affect  the  continued 
existence  of  the  hun  and  the  doshi. 

I  did  not  hear  any  Bahuana  stories,  but  some  of 
their  mythical  ideas  are  curious.  They  say  that 
lightning  is  a  cat  which  lives  in  the  clouds  and  comes 
to  earth  when  it  is  hungry  to  eat  a  tree  or  a  man. 
By  the  side  of  this  their  explanation  of  the  rainbow 
as  a  big  snake  is  commonplace ;  they  say  it  feeds 
on  fish  and  shows  itself  sometimes  when  it  has  had 
enough  to  eat. 

The  Bayanzi  inhabit  the  northern  part  of  the 
Kwilu,  and  there  are  many  signs  that  they  originated 
from  the  north,  where  they  inhabit  the  shores  of  the 
Congo,  from  the  Stanley  Pool  to  the  Ubangi.  There 
are  statements  in  the  works  of  many  writers  that  they 
have  come  down  the  Ubangi  on  trading  expeditions, 
that  their  real  name  was  Babangi,  and  that  Bayanzi 
was  only  an  insulting  name  given  to  them  by  the  people 
they  visited.  These  are  statements  which  have  often 
been  repeated,  but  it  is  impossible  to  find  on  what  they 
have  been  based ;  at  any  rate,  in  the  Kwilu  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  they  do  not  consider  it  a  nickname  and 
never  call  themselves  by  any  other.  There  are  no 
traditions  concerning  their  arrival  in  the  country. 
It  may  be  conjectured  that  they  have  taken  peaceful 
possession  of  tracts  of  land,  sparsely  populated ;  at 
any  rate  they  have  long  been  in  possession  of  it,  for 
the  northern  section  of  the  Bambala  have  found  them 

175 


HEAD-DRESS 

in  the  country  and  purchased  land  from  them,  and 
even  now  there  are  many  signs  that  they  consider 
the  Bambala  as  their  suzerains.  Physically  the  people 
must  be  divided  into  two  sections,  the  people  on  the 
river  banks  who  are  ugly  and  poor  in  appearance, 
while  those  of  the  up-country  are  fine,  strong,  and 
healthy. 

The  hair  of  the  men  is  dressed  in  a  bunch  at  the 
back  of  the  head,  that  of  the  women  is  usually  parted 
in  the  middle,  and  made  up  into  two  plaits  which  hang 
down  behind  the  ears.  This  latter  hair  dress  is  found 
among  their  tribesmen  on  the  Congo  too.  Head  cover- 
ings are  not  worn,  but  when  in  mourning  the  Bayanzi 
ornament  their  heads  with  bunches  of  grass  in  the 
form  of  wreaths.  On  the  river  bank,  where  the  people 
are  exceedingly  dirty,  no  paint  is  used,  but  in  the 
hinterland  they  ornament  themselves  on  festive 
occasions  with  red  pigment.  No  scars  are  found  on 
the  men,  but  women  are  decorated  in  this  fashion  on 
the  abdomen.  Clothing  consists  for  both  sexes  of 
palm  clothes  worn  round  the  loins ;  plain  on  the  river 
banks,  ornamented  with  diaper  pattern  in  the  interior. 
As  ornaments,  bracelets  of  iron  and  copper  are  worn  on 
arms  and  legs  and  attached  to  their  girdles ;  women 
wear  a  small  number  of  necks  of  gourds. 

A  peculiarity  of  the  Bayanzi,  especially  those  of 
the  river  bank,  is  that  they  are  not  cleanly  in  the 
preparation  of  their  food,  to  such  an  extent  that  my 
followers  of  the  neighbouring  tribe  frequently  refused 
food  offered  to  them  by  this  people,  although  they 
were  starving.    They  are  not  only  uncleanly  in  the 

176 


A  Drum 


The  drum  is  the  principal  instrument  played  at  dances ;  if  the  sounds  produced  by  it  cannot 
be  called  harmonious,  they  are  certainly  loud  and  rhythmic.  The  drummer  is  a  man  of 
some  importance  and  he  makes  quite  a  nice  income  out  of  the  presents  he  receives  for  his 
performances. 


A  Wooden  Gong 

The  wooden  gongs  of  the  Bapinji  are  made  out  of  the  solid  ;  they  are  rather  out  of  place  in  this 
region,  as  this  form  has  been  associated  in  the  mind  of  anthropologists  with  Central  and  East 
Africa.  The  gong  is  a  highly  developed  means  of  signalling  at  considerable  distances,  and  certain 
tribes  are  past  masters  in  transmitting  even  the  most  complicated  messages. 


CHARACTERISTICS 

way  they  prepare  their  food,  but  they  eat  anything, 
no  matter  how  dirty.  I  saw  in  the  village  an  elephant 
which  had  been  shot  months  before,  and  the  people 
were  still  banqueting  off  it.  The  Bayanzi  are  great 
cannibals,  but  do  not  eat  the  flesh  of  people  who  have 
died  a  natural  death.  I  had  on  several  occasions  to 
investigate  a  case  of  murder,  and  I  found  on  inquiry 
that  the  murdered  people  had  been  eaten,  and  that 
every  male  in  the  village  had  shared  in  the  feast  on 
the  remains,  the  children  being  given  the  bones  to 
gnaw.  They  are  not  ashamed  of  cannibalism,  and 
openly  admit  that  they  practise  it  because  of  their 
liking  for  human  flesh. 

The  tobacco  grown  by  the  Bayanzi  near  Luano  is 
famous  throughout  the  country.  It  is  chiefly  used  for 
smoking,  though  snuffing  is  also  practised. 

The  Bayanzi  are  fishermen  on  the  river,  hunters  in 
the  interior.  The  women  throughout  the  country  are 
great  agriculturists.  Smelting  and  the  working  of 
iron  are  not  unknown  to  them ;  the  Wanguli,  one  of 
the  sub-tribes,  are  good  smiths,  and  their  weapons, 
tools,  &c.  are  particularly  well  made.  Trading  is 
one  of  the  great  occupations  of  the  men,  especially 
exporting  food,  tobacco,  ivory,  and  rubber. 

The  Bayanzi  are  governed  by  a  number  of  great 
chiefs,  who,  again,  are  represented  by  petty  chiefs  in 
the  different  villages  ;  these  latter  do  not  pay  tribute 
to  the  former,  who  exist  only  for  the  purpose  of  war. 
New  villages  are  established  whenever  a  free  man  has 
saved  enough  money  and  settles  down  as  a  petty  chief 
on  his  own  ground.    But  he  still  regards  the  chief  of 

177  M 


ESTABLISHING  VILLAGES 

the  village  he  left  as  his  suzerain.  As  above  men- 
tioned, the  great  Bayanzi  chiefs  exact  tribute  from 
foreign  tribes  who  have  settled  in  their  country.  This 
tribute  consists  in  the  heads  of  all  game  slain  and  all 
people  killed  in  war.  In  many  villages  of  the  Bayanzi 
chiefs  small  huts  are  found  which  contain  all  the 
human  skulls  the  chief  has  received ;  the  more  skulls 
he  has  the  greater  chief  he  is  considered. 

The  great  chief  usually  has  a  confidential  adviser, 
who,  in  all  cases  observed,  was  a  slave ;  such  slaves 
have  great  influence,  and,  to  assure  their  fidelity, 
receive  from  their  masters  many  presents.  Of  course 
they  are  nevertheless  open  to  bribery.  They  often 
impersonate  the  chief  before  strangers,  while  the 
master  keeps  in  the  background.  The  chief,  as  a 
rule,  is  the  head  fetish  man. 

The  population  is  composed  of  the  great  chiefs,  the 
petty  chiefs,  freemen,  and  slaves.  The  nobiUty  found 
amongst  the  Bambala  does  not  exist.  The  slaves  are 
mainly  Bayanzi,  and  their  status  is  hereditary. 

Polygamy  is  the  rule  ;  in  the  case  of  adultery  the 
wronged  husband  may  legally  kill  his  wife,  but  as  a 
rule  he  accepts  heavy  compensation.  Blood  revenge 
is  known.  If  an  inhabitant  of  a  village  is  killed  all 
his  fellows  rise  at  once  and  attack  the  village  of 
the  murderer.  Hostilities  do  not  cease  until  a  slave 
belonging  to  the  latter  village  is  handed  over  to  be 
eaten. 

Amongst  the  Bayanzi  on  the  river  bank,  especially 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Kongo,  belief  in  Molohi  as  a 
cause  of  sickness,  death,  and  misfortune  is  found,  and 

178 


A  REVOLTING  CEREMONY 

the  witch  is  killed  and  eaten ;  there  cannot  be  any 
doubt  that  the  custom  has  been  adopted  from  the 
Bambala,  as  tribes  of  the  interior  do  not  practise  it. 
In  Gangan  I  saw  the  chief  make  his  invocations  to 
his  fetishes.  The  ceremony  is  as  follows  ;  All  the 
fetishes  are  spread  out  on  a  piece  of  cloth  ;  the  chief, 
with  two  of  his  sons  or  slaves,  sits  down  opposite  them. 
A  cock  is  brought,  and  the  chief  cuts  an  artery  at  the 
side  of  the  bird's  neck,  and  lets  the  blood  trickle  out 
through  the  mouth  over  the  three  first  fetishes,  scatter- 
ing a  few  drops  over  the  others.  Then  he  chews  kola, 
and  meanwhile  addresses  the  fetishes,  alternately  coax- 
ing and  threatening  them,  and  making  his  petition, 
which  is  usually  a  request  for  fertility  for  his  wives 
and  slaves.  After  each  sentence  he  spits  on  the  three 
principal  fetishes,  and  his  sons  or  slaves  spit  on  the 
others. 


179 


CHAPTER  XII 


A  faithful  friend — Diplomacy — From  cook  to  chief — Hints  to  Europeans — 
Native  humour  —  A  hippo  story  —  Metempsychosis  —  Negroid  logic  — 
Settling  down — An  expensive  amusement — Domestic  possessions — Game 
in  Luano. 

NOT  content  with  giving  me  an  imaginative 
account  of  the  quarrel  in  which  four  of  his 
men  met  their  death,  the  X.  mentioned  above 
must  needs  send  in  to  his  manager  an  official  report 
to  the  same  effect.  The  latter  transmitted  the  infor- 
mation to  the  Government,  who  sent  a  police-officer 
with  instructions  to  carry  out  an  investigation  on  the 
spot.  When  I  got  back  to  Luano  this  officer  just 
passed  on  the  Marie,  accompanied  by  an  escort  of 
about  twenty  men.  I  only  exchanged  a  few  words 
with  him,  as  the  only  reason  for  stopping  at  Luano 
was  to  take  in  wood ;  he  told  me,  however,  that  he 
would  call  on  his  way  back,  as  he  had  some  matters 
at  Luano,  too,  into  which  he  had  to  inquire. 

A  few  minutes  after  the  steamer  had  started, 
Meyey  and  Kalala  brought  to  me  in  triumph  a  fine 
fox-terrier,  the  property  of  the  police-officer,  which 
had  been  left  behind.  Kalala  suggested  that  we  need 
not  return  the  animal,  but  I  sternly  vetoed  the  idea. 
In  the  evening  I  overheard  a  conversation  between 
him  and  Meyey,  in  which  he  hinted  that  it  would  be 
very  nice  if  the  police-officer  were  killed,  so  that  there 

180 


A  FAITHFUL  FRIEND 

would  be  no  need  to  hand  over  the  dog.  As  I  had 
occasion  to  do  the  lieutenant  some  service  in  his 
dealings  with  the  natives  some  time  later,  he  pre- 
sented me  with  the  dog,  and  told  me  that  its  name 
was  Fox,  which  the  natives  promptly  translated  into 
Pokosso ;  it  proved  a  faithful  friend  to  me  as  long  as 
I  remained  in  Congoland.  Of  course  every  dog  is  to 
his  owner,  as  every  baby  to  its  mother,  a  miracle  of 
intelligence  and  all  the  virtues  ;  but  I  will  not  weary 
my  readers  with  over  many  stories  in  illustration  of 
Fox's  capacity.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  I  taught  him 
to  point  as  well  as  any  pointer,  and  managed  to 
impress  the  natives  with  the  greatest  respect  for 
him. 

When  I  entered  a  village  A.  which  was  at  war  with 
another,  which  we  will  call  B.,  I  offered  Fox  a  leg 
of  chicken  or  other  tit-bit  with  the  left  hand,  telling 
him  that  it  was  a  present  to  him  from  the  chief  of 
village  B.  He  had  been  carefully  trained,  and  would 
never  accept  anything  so  offered,  promptly  turning  his 
back  instead.  Then  I  transferred  the  dainty  to  my 
right  hand,  and  remarked  that  I  had  made  a  mistake  ; 
it  was  the  chief  of  village  A.  who  was  giving  him  the 
present,  whereupon  he  grabbed  it  out  of  my  hand  in 
a  twinkling.  The  natives  were  of  course  all  attention 
during  this  little  comedy,  and  nothing  would  persuade 
them  that  Fox  was  not  a  transformed  man. 

Meyey  got  greatly  attached  to  Fox,  who  was 
thenceforth  included  in  the  "we"  of  which  I  spoke 
above.  If  anyone  asked  him  whom  the  "we"  of  a 
hunting  anecdote  designated,  he  replied,  "  Why,  me 

181 


DIPLOMACY 


and  Fox  and  Deke."  Kalala,  too,  made  great  friends 
with  Fox,  and  his  favourite  amusement  was  to  lure  a 
native  cur  from  a  village  by  means  of  a  bone,  and 
when  he  had  got  him  sufficiently  near  to  Fox,  throw 
the  bone  between  them  and  enjoy  the  resulting 
fight,  in  which  Fox,  of  course,  proved  the  victor. 
But  this  little  game  proved  far  too  expensive  for 
me,  for  I  was  continually  being  called  upon  to  pay 
damages ;  so  I  had  to  repress  Kalala's  sporting  in- 
stincts, and  the  native  dogs  were  left  in  peace. 
Once,  and  only  once,  Kalala  lapsed  from  the  path 
of  virtue,  and  I  put  him  on  the  shore  as  a  punish- 
ment, telling  him  to  count  the  numerous  parrots 
which  flew  overhead.  Instead  he  went  to  sleep,  and 
when  I  asked  him  how  many  had  passed,  he  replied, 
"  Oh,  lots." 

When  Lieutenant  Danniels  returned  to  Luano  he 
informed  me  that,  when  approaching  Banyangi  country, 
where  he  had  to  examine  witnesses,  he  had  been 
attacked  and  several  of  his  men  wounded.  He  had, 
however,  retired  without  attempting  reprisals,  for  his 
orders  were  to  do  no  more  than  interview  the  wit- 
nesses, whom  of  course  he  failed  to  see.  When  I 
heard  this  I  offered  to  intervene,  and  assured  him 
that  if  I  asked  the  chiefs  to  meet  him  it  was  ex- 
ceedingly improbable  that  they  would  refase.  He 
accepted  my  suggestion,  and  I  duly  carried  out  my 
promise ;  in  consequence  of  his  report,  X.  was 
sentenced  to  six  mouths'  imprisonment. 

The  matter  which  brought  Lieutenant  Danniels  to 
Luano  was  more  complicated.    The  missionaries  had 

182 


DIPLOMACY 

complained  that  some  people  from  a  village  near  the 
mission  had  been  killed  by  the  inhabitants  of  Matani, 
a  very  important  Bayanzi  village.  Here,  too,  I  inter- 
vened with  good  results ;  Danniels  proposed  to  visit 
the  village  in  person,  but  I  told  him  that  if  he  did  so 
he  would  certainly  be  attacked  by  the  frightened 
inhabitants.  Instead,  I  suggested  that  I  should  send 
a  message  to  the  chief  telling  him  that  the  authorities 
were  in  Luano,  and  that  instead  of  coming  to  the 
village  they  would  await  his  coming,  if  he  would 
bring  in  those  who  were  responsible  for  the  murder. 
Danniels  fell  in  with  the  idea  and  I  carried  it  out. 
In  two  days  from  the  despatch  of  my  message,  the 
chief  appeared  bringing  with  him  all  the  malefactors 
in  chains,  and  handed  them  over  to  the  authorities. 

I  acted  as  interpreter  in  the  proceedings,  and  the 
accusers,  confronted  with  the  Bayanzi  prisoners,  were 
compelled  to  admit  that  they  had  been  guilty  of 
depredations,' and  tried  to  carry  off  women,  goats,  and 
other  miscellaneous  property.  As  a  result  the  charge 
was  naturally  dismissed  after  a  trial  which  lasted 
nearly  a  month,  though  the  account  is  here  com- 
pressed into  a  few  lines.  During  this  time  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  the  company  of  Lieutenant  Danniels,  and 
I  need  hardly  say  how  much  I  enjoyed  the  society  of 
a  white  man  after  having  lived  for  nearly  a  year 
quite  alone,  so  far  as  European  society  was  concerned. 

I  took  advantage  of  Danniels'  presence  to  arrange 
a  little  palaver  of  my  own.  Half  an  hour  from  Luano 
was  the  village  of  Kika,  the  chief  of  which — Mole 
Mole — had  died  some  twelve  months  before  without 

183 


FROM  COOK  TO  CHIEF 

legal  heir.  No  successor  had  been  appointed,  and 
from  being  a  well-conducted  place  the  village  had 
become  a  den  of  thieves.  Danniels  summoned  the 
warriors  of  the  village  and  informed  them  that  they 
must  elect  a  new  chief.  They  did  so  very  reluctantly, 
being  unwilling  to  have  any  check  upon  their  evil 
doing.  Eventually,  probably  out  of  compliment  to 
me,  they  elected  Bokale,  my  cook,  who  had  been  born 
in  the  village  some  fifteen  years  before.  He  had 
served  another  European  before  myself,  and  this  and 
his  great  travels  had  made  his  reputation.  He 
refused  to  take  over  the  duties  of  his  office  as  long  as 
I  remained  in  Luano,  but  was  duly  installed  when  I 
went  south  for  the  second  time.  On  my  return  I 
heard  that  he  was  performing  his  duties  to  the 
general  satisfaction  of  his  subjects. 

I  had  acquired  a  reputation  among  the  natives 
not  only  by  the  cures  which  I  had  efi"ected,  but  also 
because  I  studied  their  habits  and  was  careful  never 
to  infringe  any  native  custom.  It  was  my  practice 
to  treat  them  as  gentlemen,  and  they  showed  them- 
selves worthy  of  the  confidence  which  I  reposed  in 
them.  Recent  events  had  enormously  increased  my 
prestige ;  in  the  first  place,  I  had  put  a  stop  to  a 
war  which  had  lasted  for  months,  if  not  for  years, 
and  then  I  had  acted  as  their  spokesman  with  the 
authorities  and  secured  fair  treatment  for  them. 
The  result  of  all  this  was  that  my  word  was  law 
in  this  country ;  I  had  only  to  say  a  thing  and  it 
was  done.  Other  Europeans  had  failed  to  obtain 
in  Luano  the  labour  which  they  required  for  their  own 

184 


BA>rBALA  Woman  and  Child 

The  Southern  Bambala,  women  and  men,  liave  their  teeth  filed  to  points. 
When  children  are  very  small  they  are  carried  on  their  mother's  back ;  as  soon 
as  they  are  strong  enough  to  hang  on  by  themselves  they  ride  astride  on  the  hip 
of  their  mother.    They  are  weaned  at  a  very  late  age. 


A  DuG-OUT 

The  dug-outs  of  the  Upper  Congo  are  of  great  length  ;  they  are  easily  steered  by  two  men,  one  in 
front  and  one  behinH.  Europeans  usually  travel  by  boats  manned  by  forty  or  fifty  men  ;  I  saw  one 
dug-out  which  required  a  crew  of  eighty.  It  was  broad  enough  to  put  a  table  into  it  and  permit 
four  chairs  to  be  put  round  the  table.  The  diameter  of  the  tree  of  which  it  was  made  must  have 
been  about  six  feet. 


HINTS  TO  EUROPEANS 

purposes.  I  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  the  twenty- 
men  I  required,  and  I  was  able  to  draft  twenty  times 
that  number  to  other  factories  which  needed  them. 

Perhaps  I  may  here  give  a  hint  to  anyone  who 
may  wish  to  follow  in  my  footsteps.  It  is — never 
to  strike  a  native.  He  will  not  hit  back,  and  it  is 
like  striking  a  man  whose  hands  are  tied.  The 
native  knows  that  it  is  cowardly,  and  he  knows 
that  you  know  it.  The  European  who  uses  his 
fists  upon  a  man  of  colour  does  so  to  his  own  loss ; 
he  simply  loses  caste  among  the  natives,  even 
though  he  may  gain  his  end  for  the  moment.  It 
is  only  when  one  lives  with  the  native  on  these 
terms  that  one  begins  to  appreciate  him  as  he 
really  is.  Having  won  the  confidence  of  the  tribes 
among  whom  I  was  living,  I  began  to  get  an 
insight  into  their  character  and  to  learn  how  great 
a  sense  of  humour  there  is  in  the  true-born  native 
of  the  Congo. 

Humour  is  an  elusive  thing,  and  in  the  process 
of  translation  from  one  language  to  another  the  fine 
aroma  only  too  often  disappears.  It  is  one  thing  to 
recall  a  scene,  with  the  personalities  of  the  actors, 
their  very  words  and  the  by-play  which  contributes 
so  much  to  humour  in  any  part  of  the  world,  but 
quite  another  to  sit  down  and  describe  to  those 
who  have  never  been  in  Africa  the  inimitable 
subtleties  of  negro  wit. 

During  my  stay  in  Luano  an  officer  of  the  Congo 
State  paid  me  a  visit  with  five  and  twenty  soldiers. 
They  were  of  different  tribes,  mainly  Babangi  and 

185 


NATIVE  HUMOUR 

Batetela,  well-trained,  fine-looking  fellows,  led  by  a 
kind  and  smart  officer ;  he  kept  his  men  well  in 
hand,  and  not  once  during  their  month's  stay  did 
they  give  the  slightest  cause  for  complaint.  They 
fraternised  with  the  natives,  danced  with  them, 
learned  their  songs,  and  taught  them  those  of  their 
own  country.  The  behaviour  of  soldiers  is  always 
dependent  on  the  officer ;  and  if  an  officer  is  unable 
to  keep  his  people  in  hand  he  would  do  better 
to  resign  his  commission,  for  he  is  unworthy  of 
bearing  it. 

A  special  favourite  of  mine  whom  I  have  re- 
ferred to  earlier  in  these  pages  was  a  bugler,  of 
Ubangi  origin,  named  Bobo.  I  like  to  see  a  fine 
man,  and  Bobo  was,  and  I  hope  still  is,  one  of 
the  most  magnificent  specimens  of  black  humanity 
upon  which  I  ever  set  eyes ;  tall,  broad-shouldered, 
with  a  bright  cheerful  face,  always  happy,  he  was 
an  excellent  soldier,  brave  and  immensely  strong, 
with  a  temper  as  sweet  as  a  child's.  He  could 
face  death  laughingly,  but  he  could  laugh  too 
when  the  joke  was  against  himself,  as  the  sequel 
will  show. 

Bobo  was  eating  his  breakfast  one  morning  in  the 
course  of  an  expedition  in  the  Banyangi  country,  and 
was  making  an  onslaught  on  a  piece  of  boiled  fowl, 
which  he  held  in  his  hand,  when  suddenly  the 
hi-i-i-i-i  war  -  cry  was  heard ;  the  natives  were 
attacking  the  camp.  Arrows  began  to  fly,  and  one 
wounded  Bobo's  hand,  so  that  he  dropped  his 
breakfast.    He  j)romptly  put  his  other  hand  to  his 

186 


NATIVE  HUMOUR 


mouth  —  a  gesture  expressive  of  astonishment  or 
disappointment  —  and  shook  his  head. 

"Come  here,  Bobo,"  says  the  lieutenant,  "and 
let  me  look  at  your  hand  and  stop  the  bleeding." 

"  Ah,  lieutenant,"  exclaims  Bobo  "  the  hand  and 

 the  bleeding  ;  what  I  should  like  to  know  is  who 

will  give  me  another  breakfast  now  that  my  chicken 
has  been  tumbled  on  the  ground  and  got  so  dirty 
that  I  can't  eat  it." 

One  day  I  organised  a  wrestling  match,  and 
Bobo's  adversary  was  a  Mongala  boy  named  Mam- 
bila,  surnamed  Moana  N'zau  (son  of  the  elephant). 
They  were  a  well-matched  pair,  but  Bobo  was  a 
bit  the  better,  and  at  last  Mambila  had  to  give  in. 
Deeply  mortified  and  furious  at  his  defeat,  he  burst 
into  tears  of  rage.  Bobo  looked  at  him  in  astonish- 
ment and  tried  to  console  him,  begging  him  not  to 
be  angry,  as  it  was  all  "fun,"  and  that  another  day 
the  luck  might  turn  in  his  favour.  But  Mambila 
was  inconsolable,  till  at  last  Bobo,  with  a  fine  gesture, 
handed  him  over  the  prize  he  had  just  won,  saying, 
"  Now  don't  be  angry  any  more ;  you  got  the  licking 
and  jou  shall  have  the  prize  too."  All  the  boys 
knew  that  Bobo  would  never  get  angry,  so  they 
teased  him  accordingly.  One  day  he  asked  me  for 
the  loan  of  my  shot  gun  and  a  cartridge  and  promised 
to  provide  us  with  game.  I  granted  his  request.  As 
he  made  his  preparation  he  was  subjected  to  a  running 
fire  of  chaff  from  the  boys ;  they  begged  him  with 
mock  humility  not  to  kill  all  the  game ;  one  sug- 
gested that  it  would  be  well  to  put  the  butt  to  his 

187 


A  HIPPO  STORY 

shoulder  and  not  the  barrels,  if  he  did  not  want  to 
hurt  himself;  another  said  that  if  he  saw  a  guinea- 
fowl  the  best  way  of  hitting  it  would  be  to  shoot 
in  the  opposite  direction,  "  for  if  you  aim  at  it,  you 
are  sure  to  miss  it."  So  Bobo  went  off  hoping  for 
a  good  fortune  in  his  expedition. 

About  an  hour  later  we  heard  shouts  and  roars 
of  laughter  on  the  road  leading  to  the  forest.  It 
was  Bobo  on  his  way  home,  empty-handed,  being 
greeted  by  the  boys  and  about  a  score  of  other 
natives.  They  had  gone  to  meet  him,  each  with  a 
huge  basket  on  his  back,  "  to  put  all  the  game  in," 
as  they  said.    Bobo  laughed  loudest  of  all. 

On  one  occasion  I  noticed  that  Bobo  had  two 
enormous  scars  on  his  right  leg,  and  I  asked  how 
he  had  been  wounded.  "  When  I  was  at  home," 
he  said,  "  I  wanted  to  marry  the  girl  who  was  my 
father's  slave,  but  he  wouldn't  let  me ;  so  I  took 
my  knife  and  stuck  it  twice  into  my  leg  with  all 
my  might  and  said  I  would  go  on  if  he  would 
not  give  me  my  sweetheart ;  and,"  he  continued 
roguishly,  "  I  got  the  girl." 

For  some  time  the  natives  had  been  complaining 
of  a  hippopotamus  which  came  on  moonless  nights 
and  played  great  havoc  with  their  plantations.  I 
tried  hard  but  did  not  manage  to  get  a  shot  at 
the  beast,  so  at  last  I  was  obliged  to  have  a  pit- 
fall dlig,  which,  in  native  fashion,  was  carefully 
covered  up  with  branches,  earth,  and  grass.  On 
the  evening  of  the  second  day  Bobo  came  in 
greatly  excited  to  tell  us  that  he  heard  snoring  in 

188 


A  HIPPO  STORY 

the  pitfall  and  was  certain  some  beast  had  been 
caught.  We  took  torches  along  and  there,  sure 
enough,  was  a  huge  hippo.  To  put  an  end  to  its 
struggles  the  lieutenant  fired  his  Mauser  rifle  at  it ; 
but  the  hard-nosed  bullet  only  hit  a  fleshy  part, 
and  the  hippo,  stung  by  the  pain  of  the  wound, 
managed  to  struggle  out  of  the  hole  by  a  great 
effort  and  disappeared  in  the  darkness.  Later  in 
the  evening  I  was  making  my  regular  round  near 
the  workmen's  camp,  and  hearing  them  chatting 
about  the  great  event  of  the  day,  I  stopped  to 
listen  without  being  seen.  Bobo  had  just  asked  for 
silence  and  was  relating  the  following  story,  which 
I  give  as  near  as  possible  word  for  word. 

"  Now,  my  dear  boys,  our  friend  the  hippo  has 
just  about  got  home,  and  his  wife  is  just  exclaiming : 
*  Oh  my  mother  ( =  good  gracious)  where  have  you 
been  all  this  time ;  here  am  I  with  the  children 
still  waiting  supper.'  '  Don't  grumble,'  says  the 
hippo ;  '  I  have  had  an  awful  adventure.'  '  What 
was  that  ? '  says  the  wife.  '  Why,  I  was  strolling 
about,  as  I  do  in  the  evening,  cropping  a  mouthful 
here  and  a  mouthful  there,  when  all  of  a  sudden 
the  ground  gave  way  under  my  feet  and  I  found 
myself  in  a  great  big  hole.  You  may  imagine  my 
astonishment.  Oh,  I  thought,  so  those  men  have 
been  at  it  again  and  laid  traps  for  me ;  don't  they 
think  themselves  awfully  clever  ?  Well,  as  I  am 
tired,  I'll  just  lie  down  and  have  a  comfortable  nap 
in  this  hole,  and  then  before  sunrise  I'll  get  out 
andfgo  home.    So  I  went  to  sleep,  but  as  I  snored 

189 


METEMPSYCHOSIS 

rather  loud  the  men  seem  to  have  heard  me ;  at 
any  rate  I  woke  all  of  a  sudden  and  saw  a  crowd 
of  men  standing  with  lights  at  the  top  of  the  hole. 
I  began  to  feel  a  bit  uncomfortable,  especially  as  I 
saw  Bobo  amongst  them,  who  is  so  awfully  clever 
and  strong,  you  know.  I  tried  to  get  out  but  could 
not  manage  it,  when  all  at  once  a  man  stepped 
forward ;  I  saw  a  flash,  heard  a  bang,  and  felt  him 
prick  me  in  the  back  with  a  needle.  The  place 
was  really  getting  too  hot  for  me,  so  I  made  an 
effort,  jumped  out  of  the  hole,  ran  straight  home, 
and  here  I  am ;  so  now,  my  dear,  let  us  have 
supper  at  once.' " 

These  people  believe  in  the  transmigration  of  the 
soul,  and  when  a  soul  is  supposed  to  be  in  an  animal 
they  speak  of  the  animal  as  if  it  were  a  man.  I 
tried  to  tame  some  young  guinea-fowl,  and  kept 
them  in  a  cage ;  one  day  they  escaped,  and  I  chased 
them  with  my  fox-terrier,  a  very  soft-mouthed  animal. 
He  caught  them  every  one  and  brought  them  to 
me  without  hurting  them.  Kalala  saw  it  and  ex- 
claimed, "  If  that  dog  is  not  a  man,  I  am  a  dog !  " 

When  I  was  in  Kikwit  my  dog  never  showed 
any  animosity  against  the  native  Bambala,  who  are 
clean,  well-dressed  people,  but  whenever  one  of  the 
Moyansi,  who  are  shabby  and  rather  dirty,  came 
near  he  barked  furiously.  *'  Do  you  know  why  he 
does  so  ?  "  asked  my  Mombala  boy.  "  We  Bambala 
don't  eat  dogs ;  the  Bayanzi  do,  and  he  has  found 
|;hem  out ! " 

It  is  of  the  very  greatest  importance  in  a  country 

190 


NEGROID  LOGIC 


where  there  are  only  a  very  few  Europeans  to  keep 
one's  temper ;  experience  has  taught  me  that  when 
you  scold  a  man  you  only  add  fuel  to  your  anger. 
So  when  some  one  had  to  be  hauled  over  the  coals 
I  used  to  say  to  my  "  secretary "  (an  illiterate  boy), 
"  Now,  Meyey,  just  tell  him  my  opinion."  Off  went 
Meyey,  using  alternately  French,  English,  Dutch, 
German,  Hungarian,  and  Kimbala  bad  language  to 
the  evildoer. 

When  Meyey  himself  was  the  misdemeanant  I 
told  him  to  go  in  front  of  the  looking-glass  and 
insult  himself;  at  first  he  felt  the  disgrace  very 
keenly,  but  one  day  I  noticed  that  after  abusing  him- 
self he  chuckled  behind  my  back.  "  Hallo,  Meyey," 
I  said,  "are  you  not  ashamed  of  all  the  bad  things 
you  have  said  of  yourself?"  "Not  much,"  he  said, 
"  for  though  I  said  them,  you  know  I  did  not 
mean  'em." 

I  wanted  to  learn  something  of  the  native  calendar, 
so  I  asked  Meyey  how  many  months  there  were  in 
the  year.  Negroes  often  answer  one  question  with 
another.  "Do  I  clean  your  boots  every  day?"  he 
said.  "You  do."  "  Do  I  make  your  bed  ?  "  "You 
do."  "Do  I  clean  your  room?"  "Yes."  "Do  I 
wash  your  linen,  lay  the  table,  clean  the  plates, 
knives,  and  forks,  and  give  the  dog  a  bath  every 
day?"  "Yes,  certainly."  "Now,  when  I  have  to 
do  all  this,  how  can  I  find  time  to  count  all  the 
months  in  the  year?" 

I  remained  in  Luano  for  fully  six  months,  and 
the  anecdotes  related  above  are  of  course  not  a, 

191 


SETTLING  DOWN 

tithe  of  the  whole.  When  I  went  there  I  did  not 
know  how  long  I  was  to  stay,  so  I  established  myself 
as  if  I  were  to  be  a  fixture  for  the  rest  of  my 
natural  life.  Missionaries  are  as  a  rule  longer  lived 
than  traders  or  ofiicials,  and  in  part  this  is  due  to 
the  fact  that  they  look  to  the  future  and  effect  im- 
provement which  will  be  to  the  benefit  of  their  suc- 
cessors, if  not  to  their  own  advantage.  The  ofiicial, 
on  the  other  hand,  never  feels  that  he  has  his  home 
in  the  Congo ;  all  his  measures  are  temporary,  and 
if  perchance  he  does  do  something  which  aims  at 
permanency,  his  successor  probably  disapproves  of 
it,  and  abolishes  it  lock,  stock,  and  barrel. 

So  far  as  State  property  is  concerned,  a  stop  has 
now  been  put  to  this  waste  by  an  ordinance  for- 
bidding new-comers  to  demolish  any  of  their  pre- 
decessor's work  without  special  leave  from  the  district 
ofiicer ;  and  to  this  must  be  attributed  the  beauty  of 
the  Government  settlements  which  has  aroused  the 
admiration  of  so  many  English  travellers. 

My  first  attempts  at  plantations  did  not  long  sur- 
vive ;  they  were  on  a  gentle  slope,  which  gradually 
sank  towards  the  river.  When  the  rains  came  my 
whole  stock  of  trees  found  a  watery  grave,  for  after 
ten  minutes'  rain  the  slope  on  which  they  were 
planted  was  like  the  bed  of  a  torrent.  I  discussed 
with  the  natives  the  advantages  of  a  dam  above  the 
station  to  divert  the  inundations,  but  I  was  prevented 
from  making  arrangements  for  the  execution  of  the 
work  by  an  unexpected  call  to  Bala,  thirty-five  miles 
north-west  as  the  crow  flies.    Imagine  my  astouish- 

192 


AN  EXPENSIVE  AMUSEMENT 

ment  when,  on  my  return  eight  or  ten  days  later,  I 
found  a  solid  dam  3  feet  high  and  200  feet  long. 
The  natives  had  joined  together  to  complete  the 
work  as  a  surprise  to  me,  and  declined  any  pay- 
ment for  their  labour.  This  was,  however,  a  some- 
what expensive  amusement  for  me ;  for  if  payment 
is  refused  it  is  etiquette  to  give  presents  to  the 
people  concerned,  and  these  are  worth  considerably 
more  than  the  wages. 

I  could  now  set  to  work  on  my  garden ;  I  laid 
down  large  lawns  in  front  of  the  house  with  several 
flower  beds.  At  the  back  I  made  a  large  kitchen 
garden  on  one  side  and  on  the  other  a  plantation 
of  rice  and  a  nursery  for  trees. 

On  my  visit  to  the  various  chiefs  I  had  from  time 
to  time  received  presents  of  goats,  many  of  them 
exceptionally  beautiful  specimens.  I  now  had  some 
forty  she-goats,  any  of  which  would  have  done  credit 
to  me  in  a  show,  and  a  he-goat  of  great  size,  whose 
bell  earned  him  the  name  of  "  Muffins,"  promptly 
metamorphosed  by  the  natives  into  "  Mufinzi."  The 
amount  of  milk  given  by  a  single  African  goat  is 
almost  negligible,  but  the  size  of  my  herd  gave  me 
ample  supplies  of  milk  and  cheese,  the  latter  prepared 
by  my  own  hands. 

The  care  of  my  gardens,  of  my  plantations,  of 
my  rice  field,  and  of  my  herds  meant  no  small 
amount  of  labour  for  my  men,  and  to  their  credit 
be  it  said,  there  was  not  only  nothing  in  the  way 
of  shirking,  but  I  did  not  need  to  do  more  than 
issue  my  orders  in  the  morning  and  I  was  sure  to 

193  N 


DOMESTIC  POSSESSIONS 

find  them  executed  in  the  evening.  Even  when  I 
was  absent,  as  was  often  the  case,  on  journeys  of 
some  length  work  went  on  just  as  if  I  had  been 
present.  This  state  of  things  is  quite  exceptional,  and 
I  can  give  this  character  only  to  the  Bahuana  and 
the  Southern  Bambala  among  the  tribes  which  I  know. 

It  is  essential,  of  course,  that  the  right  people 
should  be  chosen,  and  then  they  take  a  real  interest 
in  their  work.  It  may  be  of  use  for  me  to  mention 
that  the  most  intelligent  man  should  be  put  in  the 
kitchen  garden,  where  he  will  soon  learn  to  love  his 
plants  and  take  a  pride  in  them  when  they  thrive 
under  his  care.  To  the  goats  should  be  assigned  the 
most  stupid  of  the  labourers,  and  he  will  hit  it  off 
with  them  far  better  than  one  who  is  mentally  better 
endowed. 

One  day  the  natives  found  some  guinea-fowl's 
eggs  in  the  bush  and  brought  them  to  me.  I  had 
them  put  under  a  hen  and  hatched,  and  the  young 
guinea-fowl  followed  me  about  like  so  many  dogs. 
When  I  was  in  my  coffee  plantation  I  had  only 
to  point  to  a  caterpillar  on  one  of  the  trees, 
and  the  whole  flock  of  them  would  jump  up  and 
quickly  remove  the  offending  object.  Singularly 
enough,  although  they  are  more  prolific  and  more 
savoury  than  fowl,  the  natives  do  not  rear  them ;  but 
the  experiment  would  be  well  worth  the  making. 
Unfortunately  my  flock  came  to  a  bad  end ;  my 
successor  had  not  been  a  fortnight  in  Luano  before 
the  fancy  took  him  to  taste  guinea-fowl,  and  before 
long  all  my  pretty  chickens  had  disappeared. 

194 


GAME  IN  LUANO 

One  day  a  couple  of  live  pigeons  were  sent  me 
from  the  Kasai,  and  I  shut  them  up  for  a  few  days 
and  then  let  them  out,  hoping  that  they  would  come 
back  again.  I  told  Kalala  to  look  after  them,  and 
he  promptly  undertook  the  task  ;  in  the  evening  he 
reported  that  three  had  returned.  On  the  following 
day  the  number  had  increased  to  four,  and  two  days 
later  to  six.  I  knew  that  pigeons  are  very  prolific, 
but  I  could  hardly  believe  that  the  rapid  increase 
of  my  flock  was  due  to  their  fecundity,  and  I  was 
puzzled  to  explain  the  additions  to  my  possessions, 
when  Bokale  told  me  that  some  European  before  me 
had  kept  pigeons,  but  he  having  eaten  their  young, 
they  had  flown  away  and  disappeared  into  the  forest. 
In  all  probability  the  survivors  of  this  flock  had 
resolved  to  return  to  civilisation. 

I  had  a  cat  which  was  on  very  good  terms  with 
Fox  so  long  as  she  had  not  the  cares  of  a  family  upon 
her.  When  kittens  arrived  Fox  developed  a  habit  of 
carrying  them  to  the  remotest  corners  of  the  establish- 
ment and  then  bringing  them  back  to  their  basket, 
and  his  proceedings  were  by  no  means  agreeable  to 
the  mother.  A  serious  quarrel  resulted,  in  which 
the  old  cat  made  a  hasty  exit  from  this  vale  of 
tears.  Kalala  swore  to  Fox's  innocence,  but  it  was 
rather  from  a  desire  to  save  Fox  from  a  thrash- 
ing than  because  the  facts  corresponded  with  his 
disposition. 

There  was  plenty  of  shooting  in  Luano.  So  far  as 
the  feathered  tribes  were  concerned,  I  had  ducks, 
francolins,  guinea-fowl,  pigeons,  green  and  otherwise, 

195 

! 
1 


A  GREY  GOOSE 

and  so  on ;  also  the  forest  francolin,  a  different  species 
from  the  bush  francolin,  very  difficult  to  shoot  and 
hitherto  unknown  to  science  ;  it  stands  higher  on  its 
legs  and  is  darker  in  colour ;  the  cry  too  is  quite 
different.  Between  Luano  and  Gangan  there  were 
considerable  herds  of  buffalo  and  antelope,  and  at 
night  troops  of  elephants  penetrated  into  Luano 
itself. 

Although  I  have  shot  nearly  every  bird  and 
animal  of  any  size  in  Africa,  for  difficulty  and  excite- 
ment I  give  the  palm  to  francolin  shooting ;  the 
birds  are  in  high  grass  and  are  never  more  than 
two  in  number ;  when  they  are  put  up  they  fly  in 
different  directions,  so  that  the  next  shot  is  at  a 
single  bird. 

Perhaps  the  most  exciting  incident  in  my  sporting 
experiences  was  concerned  with  a  grey  goose ;  and 
though  it  happened  near  Mosongo,  it  may  be  appro- 
priately introduced  here.  We  were  in  considerable 
straits  for  food,  and  great  was  the  jubilation  when  I 
winged  a  goose  which  fell  into  the  long  grass  border- 
ing the  road.  Now  the  grey  goose  is  a  good  runner, 
which  scurries  through  the  grass  in  such  a  way  that 
the  vegetation  is  not  moved  and  its  presence  is  not  dis- 
closed. Our  mouths  watering,  we  searched  for  our 
grey  goose  for  three  full  hours,  and  when  at  last  we 
gave  up  in  despair,  it  was  to  find  the  carcase  of  our 
booty  reposing  in  the  middle  of  the  road  hard  by,  half 
eaten  by  ants. 

If  I  aimed  only  at  effect,  I  should  say  that  I  left 
Luano  with  a  bleeding  heart,  for  I  had  learned  to  love 

196 


LEAVING  LUANO 

the  place  and  its  people ;  but  if  I  stick  to  the  truth, 
and  admit  that  wandering  is  my  real  element,  I 
cannot  say  more  than  that  I  quitted  it  for  Kikwit 
with  some  regret,  taking  with  me  the  promises  of 
many  of  my  people  who  offered  me  their  services  in 
my  new  abode  if  I  should  be  in  want  of  hands. 


197 


CHAPTER  XIII 


In  the  forest — Geographical  licence — The  Red  Congo — Spread  of  cannibalism 
— The  Southern  Bambala — A  European  resident — Caught  in  a  game  pit — 
The  rubber  shrub — people  of  the  chase — An  international  settlement 
— A  henpecked  Chief — Adrift — Crossing  the  Luchima. 

THUS  I  found  myself  once  more  on  the  good  ship 
Marie,  on  my  way  up  the  Kwilu  to  Kikwit. 
Madibi  we  found  in  a  state  of  profound  peace,  as  was 
only  to  be  expected.  From  Kongo  to  Michakila  the 
banks  of  the  river  rise  higher  and  higher  and  a  dense 
forest  everywhere  clothes  them,  down  to  the  water's 
edge,  to  such  an  extent  that  an  error  in  steering  lands 
the  boat  among  the  branches  of  the  trees. 

Half-way  between  these  two  places  is  a  long  bend 
of  the  river,  with  a  tongue  of  land  between  which  can 
be  readily  crossed  in  ten  minutes,  though  the  steamer 
takes  half  an  hour  to  make  the  detour  by  water  ;  in 
the  bend  is  a  village,  and  the  inhabitants  make  a  point 
of  greeting  the  boat  on  the  one  side,  then  going  across 
the  neck  and  awaiting  its  coming  on  the  other  side. 

To  really  appreciate  the  African  forest  it  is  neces- 
sary to  traverse  it  by  water,  and  by  preference  in  a 
dug-out  on  the  surface  of  a  small  stream,  15  or 
20  feet  broad.  In  the  forest  itself  the  view  of  the 
traveller  is  obstructed  by  a  dense  green  wall  a  few 
feet  away ;  and  even  if  undergrowth  be  absent,  he 
literally  cannot  see  the  wood  for  the  trees ;  at  most 
he  perceives  a  few  trunks  in  his  immediate  neighbour- 

198 


m  THE  FOREST 

hood.  Matters  are  still  worse  in  the  early  morning 
and  towards  sunset,  for  then  arises  a  damp  earthly- 
smell  which  is  most  unpleasant  and  renders  the  air 
quite  unbreathable.  On  the  march  the  traveller 
knocks  his  knees  or  his  feet  every  instant  against 
branches,  stumps  of  trees,  roots,  &c.,  and  even  the 
good  native  paths  are  occasionally  obstructed  by  fallen 
trees  round  which  a  track  must  be  cut.  Armies  of 
ants  lurk  beneath  the  fallen  leaves,  and  only  make 
themselves  perceptible  when  they  exercise  their  jaws 
on  some  tender  portion  of  the  body.  Then  it  is  too 
late  to  flee,  and  one  does  not  know  in  which  direction 
the  road  to  safety  lies.  True,  it  is  much  cooler  in  the 
forest  at  midday  than  it  is  elsewhere,  but  for  really 
good  going  commend  me  to  the  bush,  even  though  the 
unclouded  sun  beat  down  fiercely  enough.  In  the 
bush  I  have  done  twelve  hours'  travelling  in  a  single 
day  without  feeling  the  worse  for  it,  but  in  former 
years,  when  I  was  younger  and  stronger,  I  kept  to  the 
forest,  with  the  result  that  I  was  continually  suffering 
from  fever. 

After  Michakila  navigation  becomes  somewhat 
dangerous  owing  to  the  numerous  rocks,  though  of 
course  Captain  Rodenburg  was  a  sufficiently  skilful 
pilot  to  avoid  them  all.  Ten  miles  south  of  Michakila 
we  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Kwengo,  here  only 
some  60  feet  broad.  Higher  up  this  river  is  fully 
600  feet  broad,  and  the  waters,  thus  narrowed  to 
one-tenth  of  their  former  channel,  pour  into  the  Kwilu 
with  such  torrential  force  that  a  dug-out,  even  with 
additional  paddlers,  cannot  stem  it,  and   a  small 

199 


GEOGRAPHICAL  LICENCE 

steamer  has  likewise  been  swept  back  when  it  sought 
to  make  its  way  up. 

Kikwit  is  a  European  settlement,  called  by  the 
natives  Matari,  after  the  stone  which  there  forms  the 
banks  of  the  river.  It  is  curious  what  liberties  geo- 
graphers take  with  native  names  in  Africa  :  in  my 
map  are  to  be  found  Ilongonga,  the  real  name  being 
Bushonga,  Dumba  (Molasa),  Luchima  (Kingongo), 
Murikikamba  (Chifuta),  &c.  The  new  names  are 
sometimes  those  of  rivers  near  the  villages,  sometimes 
those  of  the  chiefs,  and  sometimes  chosen  absolutely 
at  random.  On  the  Upper  Luapula  I  heard  the  white 
leader  of  an  expedition  ask  a  native,  "  Where  are  we 
now  ?  "  When  the  latter  replied,  "  Kasenge  "  (on  the 
sand),  he  promptly  assigned  this  name  to  the  new 
station  in  the  belief  that  it  was  the  aboriginal  name 
of  the  locality.  On  the  whole,  it  seems  more  reason- 
able under  such  circumstances,  if  a  new  name  has  to 
be  found,  to  take  a  European  one  rather  than  a  word 
which  is  meaningless  both  for  natives  and  for  white 
men. 

The  inhabitants  of  Kikwit  are  Bambala,  whom  I 
distinguish  from  those  of  Kolokoto  by  calling  them 
the  Southern  Bambala. 

The  Southern  Bambala  are  a  comparatively  tall 
people,  slenderly  built,  very  wiry,  and  of  very  great 
powers  of  endurance.  They  are  the  best  tempered 
and  the  most  hospitable  natives  I  have  met  during 
my  stay  in  Africa,  and  I  think  I  must  abstain  from 
describing  their  qualities  in  detail,  being  too  much 
prejudiced  in  their  favour. 

200 


THE  RED  CONGO 


The  land  of  Southern  Bambal  is  the  Bed  Congo. 
They  paint  the  whole  body  and  articles  of  wearing 
with  red  pigment  ;  any  gift  which  may  be  presented 
to  the  traveller,  be  it  an  egg,  a  fowl,  or  a  goat,  is 
coloured  red,  and  if  white  cloth  is  given  to  them  they 
at  once  proceed  to  colour  it  their  favourite  hue.  The 
passing  of  so  many  people  painted  red  tints  the  grass 
on  the  paths  leading  to  the  villages  red,  and  the 
traveller  coming  in  contact  with  this  tinted  grass 
naturally  adopts  the  native  colour. 

The  Bambala  of  this  region  are  very  good-looking 
people,  and  they  know  it.  The  ornamentation  of  their 
persons  is  their  chief  occupation.  When  at  home  the 
paint  is  renewed  twice  or  thrice  a  day,  while  the 
arranging  of  a  suitable  and  fashionable  head-dress 
takes  several  days. 

With  Bambala  carriers  I  was  crossing  a  country 
where  a  sudden  attack  might  be  expected  every 
moment,  and  my  caravan  came  to  a  sudden  halt. 
When  I  inquired  the  reason  of  this  I  was  informed 
that  one  of  the  men  had  asserted  he  was  handsomer 
than  another,  and  that  they  were  just  fighting  it  out. 
This  is  not  an  exceptional  incident ;  wars  that  have 
lasted  years  have  been  fought  between  chiefs  because 
one  had  insisted  he  was  of  greater  beauty  than  the 
other. 

In  other  parts  of  the  Congo  when  a  native  wants 
to  compliment  you  he  will  tell  you  that  you  are  rich, 
strong,  and  fat.  The  Bambala  says  you  are  young 
and  beautiful. 

The  most  striking  difference  between  the  Northern 

201 


SPREAD  OF  CANNIBALISM 

and  Southern  Bambala  is  that  the  latter  do  not  eat 
human  flesh,  and  abhor  cannibalism.  I  think  there  is 
no  doubt  that  the  northern  tribe  have  adopted  canni- 
balism from  their  Bahuana  and  Byanzi  neighbours. 
It  is  certain  that  cannibalism  is  spreading  through 
retaliation,  for  people  coming  in  contact  with  canni- 
bals see  those  who  have  fallen  in  war  eaten  by  their 
enemy,  and  it  is  a  natural  act  of  revenge  to  eat  the 
first  prisoner  that  falls  into  their  hands.  In  the 
region  of  the  Lukula,  where  cannibalism  is  very  rare, 
when  a  man  is  eating  human  flesh  he  is  surrounded 
by  the  admiring  village,  and  one  or  other  of  the 
spectators  who  till  then  has  not  been  a  cannibal  will 
make  a  point  of  doing  as  much  as  the  original  hero  of 
the  feast,  and  when  a  man  once  has  begun  to  eat  "  the 
meat  that  speaks  "  there  are  very  little  chances  of  his 
leaving  it  off"  again. 

The  peculiar  class  of  Muri  described  in  Chapter  IV 
is  distinguished  by  the  same  type  of  bracelet,  the 
mwena,  and  the  same  headcloth,  yepi,  which,  however, 
in  the  south  is  worn  only  at  milonga  (palavers).  To 
each  mwena  bracelet  is  attached  a  particular  name, 
which  is  assumed  by  the  wearer ;  he  does  not,  how- 
ever, discard  his  former  name,  but  may  be  called  by 
either.  The  peculiar  custom,  in  accordance  with  which 
in  the  north  the  successor  to  the  mivena  must  steal 
his  predecessor's  skull,  is  not  found  in  the  south ;  the 
following  suggestion  may  explain  this  fact.  The  Bay- 
anzi  are  recognised  as  the  suzerains  of  the  territory 
which  the  Northern  Bambala  have  acquired  by  pur- 
chase from  them  ;  and  in  recognition  of  this  fact,  they 

202 


THE  SOUTHERN  BAMBALA 

have  a  right  to  the  skulls  of  all  people  killed  in  war 
among  the  northern  tribe  (perhaps  even  to  the  whole 
body  in  the  days  before  the  Bambala  adopted  cannibal- 
ism). These  skulls,  together  with  those  of  their  own 
people  and  their  enemies,  the  Bayanzi  chiefs  keep  all 
together  in  a  separate  little  hut,  a  sort  of  museum,  and 
refuse  to  part  with  them  on  any  conditions.  This  fact 
very  probably  led  to  the  stealing  of  the  skull  of  the 
deceased  Muri  in  the  north. 

As  all  primitive  people,  the  Southern  Bambala 
treat  their  slaves  very  well.  A  newly  purchased 
slave  must  give  all  his  earnings  to  his  master,  but 
after  a  short  time  he  is  allowed  to  keep  them  for 
himself. 

When  a  married  woman  perceives  that  she  is  preg- 
nant, she  must  confess  all  her  former  lovers  to  her 
husband ;  if  she  forgets  the  name  of  a  single  one  it  is 
believed  that  the  child  will  die.  The  lovers  she  had 
before  she  was  married  pay  a  nominal  fine,  but  those 
she  had  after  her  marriage  must  pay  down  a  heavy 
sum.  The  marriage  seems  to  become  definite  only 
when  a  child  is  expected,  for  then  conjugal  fidelity 
becomes  obligatory  on  both  parties,  as  the  child  is 
otherwise  supposed  to  die,  and  death  of  infants  are 
generally  attributed  to  this  cause.  In  such  a  case 
the  parents  must  undergo  purification.  Clothed  in  a 
new  palm-clothed  skirt,  they  are  led  by  an  old  woman, 
the  aunt  or  sister  of  the  wife,  to  the  river  and  dipped 
thrice  into  the  water. 

The  Southern  Bambala  have  the  same  instruments 
and  songs  as  the  northern  tribes,  but  they  are  much 

203 


A  EUROPEAN  RESIDENT 

better  musicians,  and  their  songs  are  much  clearer  to 
our  ears. 

It  must  be  mentioned  that  children  play  often 
with  crossbows,  and  it  is  curious  to  observe  that 
grown-up  people  have  not  yet  adopted  it. 

In  my  chapter  on  Luano  I  have  mentioned  that  I 
recruited  labourers  for  other  factories,  and  some  of 
these  had  come  to  Kikwit,  so  that  my  reputation  pre- 
ceded me.  I  was  received  with  open  arms,  and  as 
their  language  was  identical  with  that  spoken  in  the 
north  I  was  exceptionally  well  placed.  A.  few  days 
after  I  arrived  in  Kikwit  disturbances  were  reported 
at  Baba  in  the  Bakwese  country,  about  three  days' 
march  to  the  south-west.  I  was  very  anxious  to  pro- 
ceed thither,  but  the  Bambala  were  less  so,  as  the 
country  is  very  poor  and  the  inhabitants  are  not  on 
very  good  terms  with  the  people  of  Kikwit ;  they, 
however,  spontaneously  offered  to  act  as  carriers  on 
my  expedition.  I  may  here  mention  that  all  this 
southern  area  is  bushland  with  the  exception  of  the 
narrow  fringe  of  forest  which  is  found  along  all  rivers, 
and  which  assume  slightly  greater  dimensions  on  the 
Luchima.  I  was  accompanied  by  a  European  on  his 
way  to  Murikikamba.  When  we  arrived  in  Baba 
it  was  the  old  story  over  again.  The  Resident  had 
played  the  fool  and  had  incensed  the  natives  by  his 
treatment  of  them.  They  declared  that  if  I  had  not 
come  they  would  have  killed  him.  As  I  was  at  liberty 
to  follow  the  dictates  of  my  reason,  I  packed  him  ofi 
to  the  Kwilu  on  his  way  to  Europe  to  seek  another 
field  of  activity.    The  Bakwese  refused  to  carry  the 

204 


A  Bapiniiji  Hut 

The  doorstep  of  the  Kapindji  hut  is  on  a  level  with  the  ground  ;  this  makes  ingress  and  egress  not 
much  easier  than  the  high  IJambala  door,  for  the  entrance  is  so  low  that  one  has  to  assume  a  creep- 
ing position  to  be  able  to  get  through  it.  In  a  climate  like  that  of  the  Congo  houses  are  only  used 
for  sleeping  purposes;  this  may  explain  why  these  huls  are  not  built  high  enough  for  anybody  to 
stand  erect  in  them. 


A  EUROPEAN  RESIDENT 

loads  of  their  enemy,  and  my  Bambala  were  equally 
unwilling  to  burden  themselves  with  the  goods  of 
"  this  idiot."  However,  I  detached  a  few  of  my  men 
to  do  what  was  required,  and  as  he  was  leaving 
addressed  him  in  the  native  language  in  the  following 
term :  "  I  have  ordered  my  Bambala,  if  ever  you  try 
any  of  your  tricks  on  the  road  or  even  only  scold  one 
of  them,  to  chuck  your  goods  into  the  bush  and  run 
away.  Now  you  know  how  you  have  to  behave."  I 
have  reason  to  believe  that  the  hint  was  taken  by  my 
European  friend. 

When  he  set  out  the  natives  looked  on  without 
a  word.  It  was  only  when  he  was  out  of  hearing 
that  the  rejoicings  began ;  the  reason  of  this  was  not 
fear,  for  they  had  nothing  to  fear  from  him.  It  is 
common  to  find  among  the  English  peasants  who  are 
ladies  and  gentlemen  and  who  yield  to  none  in  the 
tact  which  they  display ;  and  though  European 
travellers  are  sometimes  disposed  to  overlook  it, 
tact  is  also  a  quality  possessed  by  the  native  of 
Africa. 

Two  other  Europeans  joined  forces  with  us  in 
Baba,  also  bound  for  the  south,  and  when  we  started 
we  formed  an  imposing  caravan  of  a  hundred  men. 

On  the  first  day  we  crossed  the  Yambesi  by  a 
vine  bridge.  This  is  made  by  loosening  from  the 
trees  the  wild  vines,  which  twine  themselves  round 
their  branches ;  when  the  ends  have  been  brought 
sufficiently  low,  poles  twelve  feet  or  so  long  and  six 
inches  thick,  are  made  fast  to  them,  and,  if  necessary, 
other  vines  brought  from  the  forest  to  make  the  vine 

205 


BRIDGES 

cables  equal  to  any  strain  likely  to  be  put  upon  them. 
To  the  end  of  the  first  pole  is  lashed  a  second,  which 
is  likewise  attached  to  the  branches  of  the  over- 
hanging trees  on  both  sides.  More  and  more  poles 
are  brought,  to  the  number  perhaps  of  a  dozen  in  all, 
till  the  river  is  bridged,  each  pole  being  made  fast  as 
before.  The  bridge  is  not  horizontal  from  end  to 
end,  but  rises  some  12  feet  in  the  middle,  the  centre 
poles  being  attached  to  the  highest  branches  on  each 
side.  The  total  breadth  of  the  bridge  is  simply  the 
width  of  the  pole ;  but  there  is  no  danger  of  slipping 
oflP,  as  the  sides  are  guarded  by  a  network  of  vines 
3  feet  high,  which  form  an  effectual  barrier. 

Such  bridges  are  for  African  circumstances  ab- 
solutely luxurious  ;  and  the  traveller  may  think  him- 
self fortunate  who  finds  such  an  one  at  his  disposal. 
Nevertheless  the  natives  still  talk  of  a  traveller  who 
was  seized  with  giddiness  on  the  centre  of  one  and 
did  not  venture  to  advance  or  retreat,  his  retirement 
being  eventually  effected  by  a  sturdy  native  who 
carried  his  helpless  fifteen  stone  of  dead  weight  to 
the  safety  of  the  shore. 

We  camped  at  Kisamba,  and  as  the  Kwengo  is 
here  quite  close,  three  of  us  went  to  bathe  in  the 
river.  On  the  way  back  we  sighted  some  guinea- 
fowl,  and  I  had  the  unhappy  idea  to  send  Meyey 
and  Fox  to  put  them  up,  myself  making  my  way 
through  the  bush,  gun  in  hand  and  my  eyes  any- 
where but  on  the  spot  where  I  was  next  to  put  my 
foot.  It  was  in  the  forest  area  near  the  river,  and 
before  I  had  gone  far  I  felt  the  ground  give  way 

206 


CAUGHT  IN  A  GAME  PIT 

beneath  my  feet,  and  was  in  less  than  no  time  at  the 
bottom  of  an  antelope  pit,  rather  shaken  up  but 
otherwise  unhurt,  as  I  had  luckily  fallen  straight  on 
my  feet.  My  gun  went  off  as  I  fell,  and  Meyey, 
seeing  me  disappear,  rushed  off  to  my  companions  to 
tell  them  I  was  killed.  They  promptly  returned  to 
look  for  my  corpse  and  found  me  in  the  pit  smoking 
a  cigarette,  more  out  of  bravado  than  anything  else, 
for  I  did  not  feel  much  in  need  of  one  at  the  moment. 
As  a  rule  the  antelope  pit  has  a  sharp  stake  in  the 
centre  to  impale  the  animal.  This  was  the  second 
adventure  of  the  sort  which  befell  me  in  Africa,  and 
as  luck  would  have  it,  the  stake  was  absent  in  each 
case,  otherwise  these  pages  would  probably  not  have 
been  written. 

A  vine  was  cut  and  lowered  to  me  ;  I  had  nearly 
reached  the  top  of  the  18-feet  trap,  when  Fox  could 
not  endure  the  separation  any  longer  and  jumped  to 
meet  me.  I  did  not  descend  again,  but  sent  Meyey 
down  to  rescue  him. 

The  other  time  that  I  found  myself  in  a  pitfall 
was  in  the  Katanga.  I  was  travelling  with  a 
European,  to  whom  I  had  lent  some  carriers,  as 
his  purse  was  rather  light.  On  the  way  we  saw 
some  guinea-fowl  which  tempted  me,  and  this  time 
I  fell  into  a  12-foot  pit  and  had  no  boy  with  me  to 
fetch  help,  only  a  fox-terrier  which  howled  on  the 
brink.  I  had  a  Mauser  rifle  with  me,  with  which  I 
had  brought  down  a  few  guinea-fowl,  and,  as  a  signal 
of  alarm,  I  fired  off  fifteen  shots  in  succession.  As 
nothing  happened  I  repeated  the  discharge,  but  no 

207 


THE  RUBBER  SHRUB 

white  face  looked  down  into  my  prison.  Finally  my 
native  boy  arrived  and  rescued  me,  and  when  I  over- 
took my  friend,  inquired  whether  he  had  not  heard 
the  firing.  "  Oh  yes,"  said  he,  "  but  I  thought  you 
were  attacked,  so  I  went  on."  So  did  I  with  all  my 
carriers,  including  those  I  had  lent  my  courageous 
friend. 

Our  journey  was  made  at  the  beginning  of  the 
rainy  season  when  all  the  grass  had  been  burnt  and 
the  new  plants  were  just  springing  up.  Consequently 
we  were  well  able  to  see  the  extraordinary  abundance 
of  the  rubber  shrub,  Landolphia  ThoUonii,  which 
grows  in  the  plantations,  in  the  bush,  even  on  the 
road.  It  is  a  thousand  pities  that  the  poverty  of  the 
land  makes  it  difficult  to  work  the  rubber,  for  the 
people  here  are  not  lazy,  and  do  not  even  require 
to  be  urged  to  work.  If  a  trader  has  some  article 
which  takes  their  fancy,  men,  women,  children,  all 
turn  out  to  work  in  order  to  gratify  their  taste  for 
the  trader's  wares. 

The  fourth  day  after  leaving  Baba  we  arrived  in 
Murikikamba,  where  I  rested  for  two  days  in  order 
to  put  my  geographical  notes  in  order.  Murikikamba 
is  inhabited  by  Balua,  a  branch  of  the  great  Lunda 
people.  It  is  probable  that  their  advance  to  their 
present  country,  which  resulted  in  their  driving  out 
the  Bambala  from  the  Kwengo,  was  caused  by  their 
being  themselves  driven  by  the  Badjok.  It  will 
therefore  be  appropriate  at  this  point  to  give  some 
account  of  the  latter  people. 

The  Badjok  are  a  branch  of  those  people  known 

208 


A  PEOPLE  OF  THE  CHASE 


variously  as  Kioko,  Kioque,  Chiboque,  and  Vachioko. 
Various  Luba  chiefs  led  off  expeditions  of  malcontents, 
among  whom  were  two  named  respectively  Muzumbo 
Tembo  and  Ndumba  Tembo.  The  second  of  these 
founded  the  Kiolo,  of  whom  the  Makosa  are  a  branch. 
Most  authorities  agree  that  these  events  took  place 
early  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

The  Kioko  people  grew  up  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Kangombe,  on  the  plateau  land  where  the  sources 
of  the  Luando,  Kwango,  Kasai,  and  Lungwebungu 
are  situated,  in  close  connection  with  the  Luchaze 
and  Lobale  peoples.  The  most  striking  feature  of  the 
Kioko  in  later  times  is  that  they  were  essentially  a 
nation  of  hunters  and  iron-workers,  but  principally 
the  former.  As  has  been  stated,  the  dominating 
immigrants  were  not  hunters  but  an  agricultural 
people,  so  their  fame  in  the  chase  must  be  referred 
to  the  aborigines  whom  they  subdued. 

The  occupation  of  hunting  naturally  induces  an 
adventurous  and  self-reliant  character,  and  encourages 
a  roving  disposition,  so  it  was  not  long  before  the 
Kioko  began  to  expand.  Buchner  states  that  the 
Northern  Kioko  may  be  divided  into  three  branches, 
that  of  Ndumba  Tembo  (a  descendant  of  the  founder), 
still  occupying  the  Kwango-Kwanza  plateau ;  that 
of  Mona  Kiniama,  on  the  Kwilu  ;  and  that  of  Mona 
Kissenge  beyond  the  Luachim.  The  two  latter 
appear  to  be  offshoots  of  the  former,  and  it  is  from 
the  second  of  the  three  that  the  Badjok  of  the 
present  chapter  seem  to  be  derived. 

In  the  time  of  Buchner  the  Kioko  were  crossing 

209  0 


A  TREELESS  COUNTRY 

Lunda  state  in  two  compact  lines,  following  the 
courses  of  the  Kwilu  and  Luachim,  and  the  Lunda 
empire  stood  in  great  danger  of  being  cut  into 
sections  by  them.  Schutt  relates  the  first  arrival 
of  a  Kioko  in  the  territory  of  the  Bashilange,  and 
Wissmann  speaks  of  the  ivory  trade  between  the  two 
peoples  as  having  been  established  some  years ;  the 
latter  also  mentions  the  Kioko  as  far  north  on  the 
Chikapa  as  about  7'30*  south,  and  Buchner  states 
that  in  his  time  they  had  reached  to  7°  south,  having 
moved  up  from  10°  south  in  twenty  years.  They 
subsequently  continued  their  progress  northwards 
as  far  as  6°,  but  were  driven  back  to  7°  by  the 
Bapindi,  assisted  by  the  Bakwese  and  Babunda  as 
related  below. 

Murikikamba  is  situated  on  the  border  of  a  swamp  ; 
in  the  whole  country  there  is  not  a  tree  to  be  found, 
so  that  when  the  European  settlement  was  established 
it  was  necessary  to  build  the  houses  of  the  midribs 
of  palm  leaves ;  a  very  picturesque  effect  was  thus 
produced,  but  hardly  a  lasting  one.  Inside,  the  walls 
are  tapestried,  and  as  the  country  is  much  above 
the  sea-level  the  temperature  inside  the  house  is 
none  too  high.  I  broke  my  aneroid  long  before  I 
reached  the  southern  plateau,  so  I  had  no  means 
of  discovering  the  height,  but  that  it  is  considerable 
may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that  in  the  early 
morning  and  late  evening  Europeans  regret  the 
absence  of  their  winter  overcoats. 

The  Balua  of  this  district  decline  to  act  as  carriers 
to  Europeans,  and  they  have  reason  on  their  side, 

210 


AN  INTERNATIONAL  SETTLEMENT 


for  if  they  wish  to  earn  money  they  have  only 
to  go  into  the  bush  and  collect  rubber  plants  to 
earn  far  more  than  they  could  by  a  correspond- 
ing expenditure  of  energy  as  carriers.  As  a  result 
of  this  the  settlement  has  quite  an  international 
appearance ;  all  the  tribes  of  the  Kasai,  as  well  as 
the  Bambala  and  the  Bayanzi,  are  represented 
among  the  workers  in  the  factories ;  the  Luano 
men  were,  of  course,  exceedingly  glad  to  see  me, 
and  were  highly  gratified  when  I  greeted  them  by 
their  names. 

Food  is  exceedingly  scarce,  so  much  so  that  it  is 
the  rule  for  men  to  work  only  five  days  in  the  week, 
the  sixth  being  devoted  to  a  trip  to  a  distant  village 
for  the  purchase  of  food.  It  is  astonishing  how  little 
food  the  Balua  require.  A  little  cassava  bread,  here 
called  musa,  suffices  for  the  whole  day ;  but  the  people 
of  the  Kasai,  and  still  more  the  Bayanzi  of  the  Kwilu, 
who  are  very  large  eaters,  complained  of  lack  of  food, 
though  their  ration  money  was  four  times  as  high 
as  it  was  elsewhere.  The  natural  remedy  would  be 
for  them  to  lay  down  their  own  plantations ;  but 
they  make  contracts  for  only  six  months,  and  besides, 
they  have  not  got  their  wives  with  them  ;  so  that  this 
means  of  increasing  the  supply  of  food  has  never  been 
adopted. 

The  Kasai  people  are  somewhat  better  off,  as  they 
have  their  wives  with  them,  which  not  only  prevents 
women  palavers,  but  also  allows  them  to  make  their 
own  plantations. 

I  decided  to  follow  the  course  of  the  Yambesi  gn 

211 


A  GREAT  CHIEF 

leaving  Murikikamba,  as  it  was  up  to  that  time  un- 
explored. It  flows  through  a  sterile  swampy  valley, 
the  surface  of  which  is  composed  entirely  of  sand  ; 
there  are  but  few  villages  in  it  on  account  of  its 
sterility.  We  wished  to  cross  the  river,  but  it  was 
not  until  we  were  twenty  miles  north  of  Murikikamba 
that  we  found  a  very  primitive  bridge.  At  this  point 
the  river  turns  north-eastward,  and  we  made  our  way 
along  the  right  bank  as  far  as  Mosongo.  When  we 
drew  near  we  found  all  the  warriors  out  in  the  fields 
in  open  formation,  but,  taking  no  heed  of  them,  we 
passed  through  their  line  and  entered  the  village. 
My  carriers  being  Bambala,  soon  explained  to  their 
fellow  tribesmen  how  peaceful  my  mission  was,  and 
before  many  minutes  had  passed  the  chief  arrived 
to  welcome  me. 

He  was,  for  a  negro,  exceptionally  fat — a  real 
Daniel  Lambert,  and  his  behaviour  would  have 
qualified  him  to  play  a  part  in  a  comic  opera.  He 
bustled  about  scolding  everyone  for  not  having  made 
preparations  for  our  reception ;  calling  three  of  his 
wives  he  inquired  whether  they  had  prepared  any 
food  for  my  people,  and  when  they  replied  in  the 
negative  he  waxed  wroth,  said  he  had  given  orders 
to  that  effect,  and,  with  one  eye  on  me  to  observe  the 
effect  of  his  remarks,  he  began  to  expatiate  on  his 
greatness,  on  the  terrible  punishment  that  the  dis- 
regard of  his  orders  would  entail,  and  so  on ;  finally, 
catching  up  a  native  broom,  he  was  about  to  chastise 
his  wives  when,  with  a  unanimity  astonishing  in  an 
Afirican  chief's  family,  they  joined  forces,  clenched 

212 


A  Suspended  Granary 


To  avoid  the  depredations  of  rats  and  of  other  vermin,  the  Bapinji  have  devised  a  suspended 
granary  for  those  articles  that  are  of  special  attraction  to  rodents,  as  for  example  ground  nuts. 
These  granaries  consist  of  big  basket-like  structures  which  are  suspended  on  poles  in  the  villase. 


A  HEN-PECKED  CHIEF 


their  fists,  and  with  many  bitter  words  gave  him 
in  my  presence  a  sound  thrashing,  during  which  he 
continued  to  ejaculate,  "  I  am  the  chief,  I  am  the 
chief! " 

The  chastisement  over,  the  chief  wife  put  her  arms 
akimbo  and  inquired,  just  as  a  nagging  wife  in  Europe 
might  do,  what  more  he  wanted.  He  turned  to  me 
and  explained  with  attempted  ease  of  manner  that 
his  wives  were  always  very  playful ;  I  learned,  how- 
ever, in  the  village  that  he  was  badly  hen-pecked,  and 
that  the  situation  was  regarded  as  a  great  joke  by  his 
people. 

I  wanted  to  make  my  way  eastwards  to  the 
Luchima,  and  I  asked  for  some  one  to  guide  me 
through  this  unexplored  tract.  The  chief,  glad  per- 
haps to  get  away  from  his  wives  for  a  day,  offered  his 
services  ;  but  he  played  me  a  very  nasty  trick.  After 
leaving  his  village  he  led  me  southwards,  pretending 
that  it  was  necessary  to  do  so  in  order  to  find  a  bridge 
over  the  Djari.  But  after  several  hours'  march,  I 
found  that  he  had  brought  me  to  a  village  over  which 
a  friend  of  his  was  chief,  for  no  other  purpose  than 
that  the  latter  might  receive  a  present  from  me.  I 
retraced  my  steps  without  entering  the  village  and 
proceeded  on  towards  Luchima. 

When  we  reached  the  Djari  there  was,  of  course, 
no  bridge  ;  I  asked  my  carriers  if  they  could  swim  the 
river  with  the  loads  on  their  heads,  but  they  said 
they  could  not.  Accordingly  I  ordered  them  to  make 
a  bridge,  provided  them  with  axes,  and  sent  them  out 
to  cut  the  logs  ;  this  involved  going  some  distance,  and 

213 


CROSSING  A  RIVER 

in  their  absence  I  and  my  boys  swam  across  the  river 
and  sat  down  to  enjoy  our  lunch.  When  the  carriers 
returned,  seeing  what  pains  they  had  laid  upon  them- 
selves, they  appeared  to  reconsider  their  position. 
One  of  the  men  came  to  the  bank  and  shouted,  "  The 
people  say  they  cannot  swim,  but  they  would  like  to 
have  a  try."  I  raised  no  objection  to  the  experiment, 
and  they  plunged  into  the  water.  Whether  it  was 
true  or  not  that  they  could  not  swim  before  I  will 
not  undertake  to  decide ;  at  any  rate  as  soon  as  they 
were  in  the  water  they  took  to  it  like  ducks  and  were 
quickly  on  the  other  bank.  What  I  saw  of  them 
later  made  me  quite  sure  that  they  were  experienced 
swimmers. 

When  they  arrived,  Kalala  danced  a  wild  war 
dance  round  them  and  improvised  a  song  to  ac- 
company his  performance,  in  which  he  sang  my 
praises,  telling  how  I  taught  the  Bambala  to  swim 
by  makmg  them  cut  logs.  Kalala  was  the  admitted 
buffoon  of  the  party,  so  his  chaff  was  taken  good- 
humouredly. 

We  lodged  in  a  hamlet,  and  the  next  day  reached 
the  banks  of  the  Luchima,  which  is  some  300  feet 
broad,  a  foaming  torrent  at  most  seasons  of  the 
year.  The  people  of  a  Bakwese  village  proposed  to 
ferry  us  over  on  rafts,  which  are  composed  of  three 
logs  of  very  light  wood  about  6  feet  long,  lashed 
together  with  vine  ropes.  Including  the  paddler  the 
burden  is  only  one  man  and  a  load,  which  may  be 
replaced  by  another  man.  The  paddle  is  a  pole 
about   4   feet  long,  forked  at  the  end,  with  four 

214 


ADKIFT 


or  five  palm  ribs  inserted  to  give  more  hold  on  the 
water. 

The  air  seemed  full'  of  bees,  and  small  flies  were 
very  troublesome ;  they  settled  on  one's  person  con- 
tinually, and  a  sting  resulted  from  any  want  of  care 
in  getting  rid  of  them.  Hoping  to  find  them  less 
numerous  on  the  other  shore  I  decided  to  put  across. 
Under  ordinary  circumstances  the  paddler  goes  up- 
stream some  hundreds  of  yards  and  brings  his  craft  to 
shore  on  the  opposite  side,  just  opposite  the  original 
point  of  departure.  I  had  no  confidence  in  the  raft, 
so  I  decided  to  undress  and  swim  behind,  Meyey  and 
the  paddler  being  on  the  raft.  By  some  means  the 
latter  lost  his  paddle  in  mid-stream  and  we  drifted 
down-stream  at  the  rate  of  ten  miles  an  hour.  Unfor- 
tunately raft  regulations  are  unknown  on  the  Luchima, 
and  there  was  no  policeman  at  hand  to  hold  us  up. 
I  shouted  to  Meyey  to  hold  tight  and  then  set  to 
work  to  swim  my  hardest,  pushing  the  raft  in  front  of 
me  to  the  other  shore,  but  the  current  was  too  much 
for  me,  and  it  was  not  till  I  saw  a  fallen  tree  partly 
spanning  the  river  that  a  means  of  escape  presented 
itself.  By  a  great  effort  I  drove  the  raft  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  tree  and  found  myself  happily  none  the 
worse  for  my  adventure,  save  for  bruises  and  scratches 
innumerable  from  the  branches. 

The  paddler,  after  constructing  a  new  paddle, 
returned  to  the  other  bank ;  the  Bakwese  thereupon 
declared  that  they  would  only  put  us  over  if  I  would 
add  to  the  payment  already  agreed  upon  certain 
objects,  and  then  they  enumerated  all  that  the  black 

215 


CROSSING  THE  LUCHIMA 

man's  heart  could  desire.  But  I  was  not  to  be 
bluffed,  though  I  was  separated  from  my  people.  I 
told  two  of  my  men,  a  Motetela  and  a  Moluba,  who 
were  excellent  oarsmen,  to  take  charge  of  the  raft,  and 
soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  my  men  and  goods 
on  the  same  side  of  the  river  as  myself.  Depositing 
on  the  ground  half  the  payment  which  the  Bakwese 
had  originally  asked,  I  took  my  leave  of  them  without 
further  formalities. 

The  crossing  of  the  Luchima  had  occupied  fully 
six  hours,  during  the  whole  of  which  time  I  was  con- 
tinually exposed  to  the  attacks  of  the  above-mentioned 
flies  and  bees.  The  main  difficulty  of  the  route  over- 
come, we  set  out  for  Luchima  village.  The  only  item 
of  interest  on  the  way  was  a  wood,  which  attracted 
my  attention  because  I  did  not  see  a  rivulet  to 
account  for  it.  When  we  entered  it  I  found  that  in 
it  was  a  lake,  the  name  of  which  my  people  declared 
to  be  Yanza ;  but  probably  this  word  means  no  more 
than  "  lake." 

Luchima  is  one  of  those  arbitrary  names  given  by 
Europeans,  the  real  name  being,  as  mentioned  above, 
Kingongo.  The  native  village,  which  is  of  very  con- 
siderable importance,  is  inhabited  by  Bakwese  of  the 
Bakwamosinga  sub-tribe ;  in  this  village  there  are,  as 
so  often  happens,  three  chiefs,  to  the  oldest  of  whom 
the  power  should  theoretically  belong  ;  but,  as  in  other 
cases,  it  is  the  youngest  who  is  practically  the  most 
important.  Although  I  myself  never  had  any  trouble 
with  this  man,  I  consider  him  to  be  a  most  dangerous 
individual ;  he  is  highly  intelligent  but  absolutely 

216 


LUCHIMA  VILLAGE 

untrustworthy  ;  but  as  he  is  a  person  of  great  con- 
sideration in  the  surrounding  villages,  it  is  necessary 
to  be  on  very  good  terms  with  him. 

I  made  a  stay  of  two  days  in  the  village  to  recover 
from  my  bruises  and  regain  my  strength,  and  then 
undertook  a  journey  which  is  of  such  importance  that 
it  merits  a  chapter  to  itself. 


217 


CHAPTER  XIV 


Tribes  of  the  interior — An  African  Napoleon — Conservative  chiefs — A  lean 
country — A  miniature  State — Bearding  the  lion — A  formidable  strong- 
hold— A  inevitable  situation — A  State  reception — Exposing  a  wizard 
— A  successful  embassy. 

I HAD  up  to  this  time  carefully  concealed  from 
my  people  the  real  object  of  my  journey,  but 
now,  being  near  my  goal,  I  had  no  need  to  be 
secretive,  so  I  told  them  that  I  wished  to  visit 
Yongo,  chief  of  the  Bakwamosinga.  They  seemed 
to  be  much  astonished,  but  after  a  short  discussion 
among  themselves  a  man  stepped  forward  and  said 
that  the  people  had  decided  to  follow  me  where- 
ever  I  went,  trusting  to  me  to  prevent  them  from 
coming  to  harm.  "It  shall  not  be  said  of  us  that 
we  left  our  master  in  the  lurch ;  we  are  not 
Baluba." 

In  order  to  explain  this  allusion  I  must  mention 
that  some  two  years  before  a  European  with 
Baluba  carriers  had  been  attacked  by  Bapindi  and 
shot  in  the  leg ;  he  got  into  his  litter,  but  the 
Baluba,  instead  of  carrying  him  away,  left  him  to 
the  Bapindi,  who  murdered  him.  But  such  is  the 
respect  which  the  European  enjoys  in  this  district,  that 
instead  of  misusing  his  body,  they  set  him  up  in  his 
deck  chair,  and  left  him  there.  When  the  question 
of  giving  him  decent  burial  arose  the  Baluba  slunk 

218 


TRIBES  OF  THE  INTERIOR 

away,  and  the  Bambala  spontaneously  offered  to 
fetch  the  corpse,  at  great  risk,  from  among  the 
hostile  Bapindi. 

The  Baluba  are  apt  to  give  themselves  airs  and 
to  speak  of  the  indigenous  populations  among  whom 
they  are  as  Basenji  (bushmen)  ;  but  on  such  occa- 
sions the  Bambala  never  fail  to  remind  them  of 
the  inglorious  part  which  they  played  in  the  incidents 
connected  with  the  death  of  Sasi,  as  they  called  the 
European  in  question. 

The  Bakwese  say  that  their  tribe  is  divided  into 
five  sub-tribes,  two  of  which,  the  Imbangala  and 
Baachinjii,  inhabit  the  Upper  Kwango,  while  the 
others,  the  Bagwandala,  Bakwamosinga,  and  Bak- 
wasamba,  are  found  on  the  Kwilu,  Of  the  two 
former  tribes,  the  Imbangala  make  frequent  trading 
expeditions  to  the  Kwilu,  where  they  are  received 
as  brothers. 

The  Bakwese  inhabiting  the  Kwilu  region  immi- 
grated approximately  in  the  middle  of  the  last 
century.  This  date  is  based  on  information  received 
from  the  chief  of  the  Bagwandala,  who,  a  very  old 
man  himself,  stated  that  his  grandfather  had  been 
of  the  migration.  The  reason  for  leaving  their  old 
country  must  be  connected  with  the  troubles  be- 
tween the  Portuguese  and  the  great  chief  of  the 
Imbangala,  of  which  historical  records  exist. 

When  the  Bakwese  arrived  in  the  Kwilu  region 
the  Bagwandala  settled  on  the  left  bank  of  this 
river  ;  the  Bakwasamba  and  Bakwamosinga  went  on 
the  right  shore  fighting  the  Bapindi  and  Babunda 

219 


TRIBES  OF  THE  INTERIOR 

whom  they  found  there.  It  may  be  imagined  that 
the  invaders  had  a  troublous  time  after  this,  for 
not  only  had  they  to  fight  the  first  occupants,  but 
they  had  continually  to  repel  the  raids  of  the 
Badjok  who  menaced  them  from  the  south. 

After  one  of  the  numerous  wars  the  Babunda 
were  obliged  to  pay  an  indemnity,  partly  composed 
of  slaves,  to  the  Bakwamosinga.  Among  these 
slaves  was  a  boy  named  Yongo,  who  adopted  the 
cause  of  his  new  country,  and  took  part  in  the 
wars  against  the  Badjok.  His  bravery  brought 
him  into  notice,  so  his  master  gave  him  his  freedom 
by  presenting  him  with  a  bracelet.  Shortly  after- 
wards he  married  the  daughter  of  a  chief,  and  his 
influence  became  such  that  when  the  chief  died  he 
not  only  usurped  the  chieftainship,  but  gradually 
reduced  to  a  condition  of  vassalage  all  the  chiefs 
except  Momambulu,  the  head-chief  of  the  Bakwa- 
samba.  At  last,  tired  of  supporting  a  continual 
struggle  against  three  tribes,  the  Bakwese  of  the 
right  bank  of  the  Kwilu  decided  to  emigi'ate,  and 
the  leadership  fell  naturally  to  Yongo,  Momambulu 
following  his  guidance.  They  recrossed  the  Kwilu, 
drove  off  the  Bagwandala  not  under  the  direct  rule 
of  Murikongo,  and  settled  in  their  present  home. 

This  settlement  was  not  effected  without  several 
severe  battles,  in  which  the  victory  naturally  fell 
to  the  immigrants,  who  had  been  for  some  time 
well  versed  in  warfare,  while  the  Bagwandala  had, 
during  the  same  period,  been  living  the  life  of 
peaceful  agriculturists.     The  section  of  Bagwandala 

220 


A  Southern  Bambala  Girl 

In  the  Congo  the  traveller,  if  he  has  not  made  himself  unpleasant,  can  always  rely  on  the  good- 
will and  kindness  of  the  women.  On  the  other  hand,  they  resent  an  insult  to  the  village  or  the 
tribe  readier  than  the  men  and  stir  them  up  to  seek  revenge.  This  Southern  Bambala  girl  has 
been  photographed  when  beaming  a  friendly  welcome  to  the  white  stranger. 


AN  AFRICAN  NAPOLEON 

who  were  thus  driven  out  went  towards  the  north- 
west into  the  barren  plains  they  now  occupy,  where 
they  Hve  in  considerable  straits  owing  to  the  sterility 
of  the  country.  This  movement  of  the  Eastern 
Bakwese  occurred  about  twelve  to  fifteen  years  ago. 
Yongo  divided  the  country  into  several  provinces, 
placing  one  of  his  brothers-in-law  at  the  head  of 
each.  Part  of  the  newly  acquired  country  was 
given  to  Momambulu  also ;  it  seems  that  Yongo 
regretted  his  generosity,  because  at  the  end  of 
1906  he  attacked  the  Bakwasamba  and  took  some 
of  their  territory.  In  fact,  it  was  only  due  to  my 
influence  that  he  did  not  annihilate  them. 

Although  an  old  man  now,  this  African  Napoleon, 
Yongo,  did  not  consider  his  career  of  conquest 
terminated.  He  said  that  when  the  plains  of  his 
country  were  exhausted  he  would  take  those  of 
the  Bagwandala,  which  are  exceedingly  rich  in 
rubber.  I  believe  that  he  has  been  prevented  from 
doing  so  already  by  the  general  respect  which 
Muri  Kongo  enjoys,  for  although  he  dare  face  any 
enemy,  he  does  not  dare  to  face  public  opinion, 
and  there  is  no  Bakwese  who  does  not  hold  Muri 
Kongo  in  veneration.  Blue  blood  counts  in  Africa 
as  well  as  in  England,  and  this  old  chief  is  always 
considered  the  rightful  king  of  the  country. 

Amongst  the  Bakwese  both  men  and  women 
wear  a  dress  composed  of  a  square  cloth.  This  is 
sometimes  of  native  make,  but  much  European  cloth 
has  been  obtained  through  the  Imbangala,  who  im- 
port it  from  Portuguese  territory.     Chiefs  wear  a 

221 


CONSERVATIVE  CHIEFS 

long  cloth  reaching  from  waist  to  ankle  and  a 
second  piece  over  the  shoulder,  Yongo  may  be 
mentioned  as  an  exception,  but  he  certainly  is  a 
man  who  attaches  very  slight  importance  to  his 
dress.  No  head  ornament  is  worn  as  a  rule,  but 
at  Katchaka  I  acquired  a  wig-cap,  which  I  was 
told  was  worn  on  festive  occasions. 

All  free  people  wear  bracelets,  and  when  a  slave 
is  presented  by  his  chief  with  this  ornament  he 
becomes  ipso  facto  free. 

As  for  the  dressing  of  the  hair,  it  is  very  difficult 
to  say  which  is  the  real  Bakwese  hair-dress.  The 
majority  of  the  people  wear  plaits  like  the  Bambala, 
but  as  the  chiefs  have  their  hair  coiled  into  five 
bunches,  it  may  be  supposed  that  in  former  times 
this  head-dress  was  in  general  use.  It  is  a  charac- 
teristic of  many  African  tribes  that  though  the 
common  people  easily  adopt  foreign  customs,  the 
nobility  and  chiefs  strictly  adhere  to  the  habits  of 
their  forefathers,  just  as  the  House  of  Lords  is  the 
stronghold  of  conservatism  in  England.  I  have  met 
tribes  where  European  cloth  is  in  general  use,  but 
the  chiefs,  who  possessed  a  very  great  stock  of 
European  goods,  refused  to  wear  it.  I  never  saw 
a  Varega  chief  dressed  otherwise  than  in  bark 
cloth,  and  all  great  Baluba  chiefs  wear  skins  round 
their  loins.  The  European  cloth  is  reserved  for 
burials. 

Men  shave  as  a  rule,  but  most  of  the  chiefs  let 
their  beards  grow.  Both  men  and  women  wear 
indiscriminately  in  the  left  or  right  ear  a  long  cane 

222 


A  LEAN  COUNTRY 

snuJBf-box,  often  prettily  carved ;  also,  although  the 
nasal  septum  is  often  pierced,  curiously  enough  nasal 
ornaments  have  never  been  met  with.  Neck  orna- 
ments are  made  of  beads,  teeth,  sections  of  reeds, 
cowries ;  men  wear  knives  on  the  upper  arm  thrust 
through  a  fibre  armlet,  which  is  ornamented  with 
a  tassel. 

The  chiefs  excepted,  people  paint  themselves  with 
red  ochre,  but  they  are  far  less  coquettish  than  the 
Bambala. 

Food  is  scarce  in  this  country,  game  is  rare,  and 
domesticated  animals  are  very  few  in  number.  It 
must  be  kept  in  mind  that  the  Bakwese  are  of 
recent  immigration  and,  as  invaders,  they  are  always 
exposed  to  attacks,  specially  the  people  of  Yongo, 
who  are  hated  throughout  the  country.  To  this 
must  be  attributed  the  habit  of  making  their  plan- 
tations round  the  houses  always  ready  in  case  of 
attack.  Agricultural  work  is  done  by  women,  and 
the  produce  belongs  to  the  head  of  the  family. 
Their  bread,  musa,  is  made  in  the  same  manner  as 
that  of  the  Bambala,  but  owing  to  the  insufficient 
sifting  of  the  flour,  it  is  dark  and  considered  of 
very  bad  quality  by  the  neighbouring  tribes. 

The  Bakwese  are  not  cannibals  except  the  small 
section  who  have  adopted  this  habit  in  the  last  few 
years  in  consequence  of  contact  with  the  cannibal 
Bapindi.  The  non-cannibal  Bakwese  do  not  despise 
them  on  this  account,  but  there  seems  no  tendency 
to  imitate  them. 

1  have  mentioned  in  another  chapter  that  palm^ 

223 


A  MINIATURE  STATE 

wine  is  scarcely  intoxicating.  The  Bakwese  having 
had,  before  their  immigration,  contact  with  the 
Portuguese,  have  brought  from  them  a  Hking  for 
stronger  stuff.  In  boiling  the  palm-wine  they 
obtain  a  drink  which  is  highly  intoxicating  and  takes 
the  place  of  aqua  ardiente.  Tobacco  is  smoked  in 
gourd  pipes,  and  snuff  is  in  general  use. 

Houses,  built  by  men,  are  made  of  grass ;  they 
are  small  and  very  badly  kept ;  even  those  of  chiefs 
look  like  ruins.  The  only  houses  of  which  greater  care 
is  taken  are  the  storehouses  of  the  chiefs,  of  which 
they  possess  several.  Each  wife  has  her  separate  hut, 
in  which  she  lives  with  the  children. 

Some  very  beautiful  wood-carvings  have  been  seen 
amongst  the  Bakwese,  but  I  believe  that  at  any 
rate  many,  if  not  all  of  them,  have  been  imported 
from  the  Badjok.  The  basket-work  is  very  good, 
and  their  mats  are  ornamented  with  very  pretty 
patterns. 

They  are  very  clever  traders.  Unfortunately  they 
have  such  a  reputation  for  dishonesty  that  the  neigh- 
bouring tribes  prefer  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  them. 
The  currency  most  in  demand  is  salt  in  crystalline 
form. 

The  chiefs  of  the  Bakwese  are  absolute  rulers ; 
they  have  a  council  of  elders,  whose  advice  they  take 
when  it  suits  them.  The  three  main  chiefs  appoint 
sub-chiefs  for  the  villages ;  in  some  cases  several  are 
found  in  the  same  village,  and  theoretically  their 
order  of  precedence  is  by  age.  But,  of  course,  the 
piost  energetic  man,  even  if  he  be  the  younger,  will 

224 


Cicatrices  as  Tribal  Marks 


BaSunda  women  have  lozenge  patterns  cut  Into  the  skin 
of  their  abdomen  ;  the  cicatrices  of  these  wounds  are  their 
tribal  marks.  Whereas  the  men  of  this  tribe  let  their  hair 
grow  very  long  and  wear  it  hanging  down  in  a  thick  plait 
on  their  backs,  the  women  shave  their  heads. 


A  Fish  Basket 


Fishes  are  mostly  caught  in  traps  and  in  baskets.  Some  of  the  baskets  are  very  big;  they  are 
fastened  between  the  sand-banks  and  the  fish  do  the  rest.  Fishing  in  the  river  is  thi  men's 
occupation  ;  in  swamps  it  is  done  by  women 


A  MINIATURE  STATE 

enjoy  all  the  power.  Tribute  is  paid  to  the  local 
chief,  and  the  great  chiefs  take  whatever  they  have  a 
liking  for ;  but  they  are  very  moderate  in  this,  for 
exaggerated  demands  would  not  be  tolerated  by  the 
people.  A  chief  never  sits  on  the  ground  ;  some  have 
beautiful  chairs,  the  supports  of  which  are  carved 
animals.  Differing  from  other  tribes  where  important 
people  are  not  allowed  to  be  seen  eating  by  anybody, 
the  Bakwese  chiefs  are  served  by  the  elders,  who 
assist  at  their  meals. 

The  Bakwese  show  particular  skill  in  the  making 
of  the  small  native  piano.  Though  the  keys  are  only 
slips  of  bamboo,  they  are  tuned  to  perfection.  I 
cannot  say  anything  about  their  songs  ;  they  seem  to 
abstain  from  singing  in  the  presence  of  strangers. 

As  to  morality,  there  are  two  different  standards 
amongst  the  Bakwese.  Theft,  rape,  and  even  man- 
slaughter are  considered  by  the  Bakwamosinga  and 
Bagwasamba  as  acts  of  heroism  ;  but  the  Bakwandala, 
who  are  peaceful  agriculturists,  highly  disapprove  of 
them. 

The  reader  will  perhaps  understand  why  the 
Bambala,  who  had  twice  seen  how  Yongo  handled 
Europeans,  were  astonished  at  my  plan  when  I  say 
that,  on  the  first  occasion,  the  party  consisted  of  forty 
men  armed  with  guns,  the  European  leader  being  not 
only  no  coward,  but  a  regular  dare-devil.  Neverthe- 
less, Yongo  compelled  him  to  pay  a  ransom  of  about 
£40  before  he  would  allow  the  carriers  to  depart,  a 
sum  which  was  given  not  because  the  leader  feared 
Yongo,  but  because  he  felt  certain  that  any  other 

225  P 


BEARDING  THE  LION 


action  on  his  part  would  bring  him  into  collision  with 
the  State.  It  may  be  imagined  how  this  incident 
tickled  Yongo's  vanity. 

On  the  second  occasion  two  Europeans  were 
promptly  shut  up  in  a  dark  hut  on  the  plea  that  the 
natives  wished  to  make  some  fetishes ;  and  all  night 
long  they  heard  them  invoking  their  images  to  pre- 
vent the  cartridges  of  the  Europeans  from  going  off 
if  there  should  be  any  hostilities.  The  following 
morning,  however,  to  their  great  satisfaction,  they 
were  released  unharmed. 

It  was  impossible  to  make  any  man  understand 
that  the  Europeans  had  retired,  not  because  they 
were  afraid  of  Yongo,  but  because  they  had  no  right 
to  fight  it  out.  So  I  left  them  to  their  belief,  and 
allowed  them  to  imagine  that  I  was  bolder  than  the 
other  white  men.  But  as  the  Bambala  on  these 
occasions  had  been  plundered  by  the  Bakwese  of  all 
small  property,  it  was  not  unreasonable  for  them  to 
display  some  reluctance  to  accompany  me,  and  their 
consent  was  a  mark  of  great  devotion. 

After  leaving  Luchima  we  descended  a  steep  slope 
into  the  valley  of  the  Biere,  a  foaming  river  with  a 
rocky  bed,  which  we  crossed  on  a  pole  bridge  about 
50  yards  long.  Thence  we  mounted  the  plateau  again 
which  separated  us  from  the  Lufuku,  behind  which 
lay  Yongo's  village.  In  all  the  intervening  villages 
I  heard  expressions  of  astonishment  at  my  proposed 
visit,  and  many  were  the  complaints  against  Yongo. 
After  crossing  a  small  river  we  arrived  in  a  small 
village  called  Maginoka,  the  first  of  the  Bakwasamba 

226 


YONGO 


tribe,  who  were  at  war  with  Yongo.  They  said  he 
had  attacked  without  reason,  had  dislodged  their  chief 
from  his  village,  and  destroyed  everything ;  they 
asserted  that  they  had  fought  hard  for  their  rights, 
and  showed  me  in  proof  of  it  their  wounds,  which  were 
all  in  the  front  of  the  body.  They  advised  me  not  to 
trust  Yongo,  not  to  visit  him  unarmed  as  I  was,  but 
to  return  and  fetch  soldiers,  as  the  country  was  not 
safe  as  long  as  his  power  was  unbroken,  I  felt  much 
pity  for  them,  and  promised  to  do  my  very  best  to 
obtain  for  them  an  honourable  peace,  but  they  shook 
their  heads,  and  opined  that  I  should  never  come  back 
to  tell  them  the  joyful  news. 

I  continued  my  journey,  and  after  about  an  hour 
and  a  half  I  arrived  at  a  swamp  about  half  a  mile 
broad,  on  the  other  side  of  which  lay  the  Lufuku.  As 
a  Moluba  who  was  with  me  knew  Yongo,  whom  he 
had  seen  on  another  occasion,  I  charged  him  to  tell 
the  chief  that  I  had  come  to  pay  him  a  visit,  and 
wanted  to  have  a  friendly  chat  with  him.  I  said  that 
I  was  coming  unarmed,  and  that  I  hoped  he  would 
have  his  people  so  well  in  hand  as  to  restrain  them 
from  committing  any  depredations  on  the  goods  of 
my  men ;  but  I  warned  him  that,  if  this  were  not  so, 
I  would  return  on  a  later  occasion,  and  he  would  then 
have  to  take  the  consequences.  About  an  hour  later 
the  messenger  returned  with  the  information  that 
Yongo  would  be  delighted  to  see  me,  and  that  his 
intentions  were  no  less  friendly  than  mine. 

It  is  always  prudent  to  send  a  messenger  in  ad- 
vance in  Africa ;  for,  if  a  big  caravan  approaches, 

227 


A  FORMIDABLE  STRONGHOLD 

especially  with  a  white  leader,  the  villagers  are  un- 
certain as  to  its  intentions,  and  disturbances  may- 
result.  As  a  rule,  a  village  informed  in  advance  will 
make  preparations,  and  if  you  are  told  that  you  are 
welcome,  it  ia  but  rarely  that  any  precautions  are 
needed. 

Yongo  village,  named  after  its  founder,  is  situated 
in  a  strong  position  between  the  Lufuku  itself,  bor- 
dered by  a  swamp,  and  the  Ponde,  whose  course  lies 
through  the  middle  of  another  swamp.  It  is  a  natural 
stronghold,  and  any  attack  upon  it  would  be  an 
exceedingly  dangerous  proceeding,  for  it  is  impossible 
to  cross  the  raging  Lufuku  either  on  rafts  or  by 
swimming,  and  the  simple  bridge  over  it  would  not 
survive  a  few  blows  of  an  axe,  while  the  crossing  of 
the  Ponde  involves  half  an  hour's  wading  thigh  deep 
in  a  swamp,  a  position  which  does  not  conduce  to 
quickness  of  movement. 

It  was  Yongo's  habit  to  cut  down  the  bridge  as 
soon  as  a  caravan  had  crossed  it,  thus  keeping  them 
prisoners  until  he  had  selected  anything  in  their  loads 
which  took  his  fancy. 

The  village  itself  contains  many  thousands  of 
warriors,  and  extends  over  a  large  area.  Bows  and 
arrows  are  not  their  only  weapons ;  they  possess 
muzzle  and  even  breech-loaders,  purchased  by  the 
Imbangala  for  them  in  Portuguese  territory.  When 
I  had  seen  my  loads  safely  deposited  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Lufuku,  I  found  myself  greeted  by  a 
howling  crowd  of  men  who  brandished  their  bows  and 
guns  in  their  hands ;  their  intentions  were,  however, 

228 


AN  UNENVIABLE  SITUATION 

good ;  they  merely  wished  to  show  off  their  strength 
and  their  guns,  of  which  they  are  exceedingly  proud. 
As  I  proceeded  on  my  way  the  numbers  increased 
continually,  and  they  raised  deafening  shouts  of 
"Kwakola,  Deke." 

A  clear  space  had  been  swept  for  my  reception  by 
the  elders  of  the  village,  and  when  I  reached  it  they 
invited  me  to  sit  down  and,  with  their  brooms,  kept 
the  crowd  at  a  distance.  One  of  them  explained  to 
me  that  Yongo  wished  to  do  me  especial  honour  in 
coming  so  far  to  meet  me,  and  desired  that  his  own 
slaves  should  transport  my  loads  into  his  enclosure. 
At  last  he  arrived,  followed  by  several  slaves,  and 
my  loads  were  shouldered  and  carried  off;  I  had 
simply  to  follow.  My  tent  was  pitched  in  the 
enclosure  and  I  sat  down  to  await  events.  My  situa- 
tion was  perhaps  hardly  enviable ;  I  was  responsible 
for  all  the  people  who  had  followed  me ;  and  if  the 
third  rencontre  between  Yongo  and  the  white  men 
resulted  in  the  discomfiture  of  the  latter,  the  con- 
sequences would  certainly  be  serious.  After  a  time 
an  old  man  came  and  said  that  Yongo  was  ready  for 
our  meeting ;  I  followed  him  to  a  kind  of  shed  behind 
the  houses,  and  there  the  chief  was  seated,  while 
behind  him  were  a  number  of  upright  sticks  with  a 
human  skull  on  the  top  of  each.  He  was  surrounded 
by  several  old  men  and  against  him  leant  Totchi,  his 
favourite  son.  He  was  simply  dressed  in  a  loin  cloth, 
and  one  single  bracelet  of  brass  encircled  his  right 
arm.  He  was  clearly  a  man  of  exceptional  physique, 
though   his  height  was  disguised   by  his  sitting 

229 


A  STATE  RECEPTION 

position.  His  hair  and  three  days'  old  beard  were 
sprinkled  with  grey,  and  from  his  face  I  gathered 
that  he  suffered  much.  The  swellings  of  his  hands 
and  feet  clearly  showed  that  his  complaint  was 
rheumatism  of  the  joints. 

I  made  him  a  complimentary  speech  through  an 
interpreter,  for  I  had  had  no  opportunity  of  learning 
Kikwese,  and  told  him  how  far  I  had  come  and  what 
dangers  I  had  faced  in  order  to  make  his  acquaint- 
ance. He  replied  in  a  laudatory  speech  which  lasted 
about  half  an  hour.  At  any  rate,  with  all  his  faults, 
he  did  not  err  on  the  side  of  exaggerated  modesty. 
The  subject  of  his  discourse  was  "  Yongo  the  great, 
the  great  Yongo,  the  most  mighty  king  of  the 
mightiest  people,  who  had  overcome  the  most  power- 
ful enemies,  &c.,  &c."  To  hear  him  one  would  have 
imagined  that  his  warriors  outnumbered  the  sands  of 
the  sea  or  the  grass  of  the  bush.  Even  the  terrible 
Kioko,  he  said,  trembled  before  him ;  he  had  eaten 
them,  as  he  had  eaten  the  Bapindi  and  the  Babunda, 
and  as  he  was  about  to  eat  the  Bakwasamba.  There- 
upon we  shook  hands  and  the  ordinary  palaver  began. 

I  began  by  reproaching  him  with  his  depredations 
on  caravans,  and  said  that  though  he  might  have 
beaten  the  Kioko,  it  would  be  a  different  matter  to 
come  to  blows  with  the  Europeans.  He  had  already, 
I  pointed  out,  weakened  himself  by  his  conflict  with 
the  Bakwasamba  and  must  take  heed  to  his  ways,  if 
he  did  not  wish  to  come  upon  evil  times. 

I  said  that  in  the  course  of  my  travels,  which,  as 
my  people  knew,  had  extended  into  all  the  countries 

230 


E.N  l  ERi-RisiNG  Traders 

Enterprising  negro  traders  from  Angola  not  unfrequently  visit  the  southern  part  of  the  Congo. 
As  they  stay  usually  for  many  months,  or  even  years,  they  build  villages  of  their  own,  which  differ 
greatly  from  those  of  the  natives.  They  are  mostly  respectable  people;  slave  raiders  are  only  met 
with  in  regions  far  removed  from  European  influence. 


The  Long  Bow 

The  Southern  Bambala  are  excellent  shots  with  their  long  bows  ;  the  bow,  which  is  fairly  broad, 
IS  at  the  same  time  a  weapon  of  defence,  as  it  is  used  to  turn  off  the  arrows  coming  from  the  foe. 
Spare  arrows  are  held  in  the  left  hand,  and  a  big  bundle  of  them  is  usually  stuck  into  the  girdle. 
A, spare  bowstring  is  worn  round  the  head  all  ready  for  use. 


APPKECIATmG  A  JOKE 

of  the  world,  I  had  once  met  with  a  chief  whose  hand 
was  against  every  man ;  soon  every  man's  hand  was 
against  him,  and  his  foes,  joining  forces,  had  wiped 
him  off  the  face  of  the  earth.  That  would  be  his  fate 
if  he  did  not  look  to  the  future ;  all  the  surrounding 
tribes — the  Bapindi,  the  Bambala,  the  Babunda — 
were  friendly  to  the  Europeans,  and  if  he  involved 
himself  in  a  conflict  with  the  white  man  he  would 
find  all  his  enemies  unite  against  him,  and  his  place 
would  know  him  no  more. 

I  urged  him  before  all  to  make  peace  with  the 
Bakwasamba,  who  were  of  the  same  race  as  himself, 
and  my  words  seemed  to  produce  a  deep  impression. 
For  he  retired  to  take  counsel  with  his  elders,  and 
after  a  time  he  announced  that  he  had  decided  to 
make  peace  with  his  neighbours.  The  next  item  on 
our  programme  was  the  exchange  of  presents,  and  I 
duly  received  my  share ;  but  when  it  came  to  giving 
something  in  return,  I  assured  him  that  I  was  far  too 
much  impressed  by  his  account  of  his  greatness  to 
feel  equal  to  making  him  a  gift  of  any  sort ;  it  was 
simply  out  of  my  power  to  make  an  adequate  offering 
to  so  great  a  man.  Thereupon  he  laughed  heartily, 
appreciating  the  joke  to  the  full. 

I  then  withdrew  to  my  tent,  and  soon  after  he 
came  to  return  my  visit  with  his  son  Totchi,  who,  as 
a  Chikongo  scholar,  was  able  to  play  the  part  of 
interpreter.  Our  conversation  turned  on  general 
topics,  and  Yongo  showed  himself  to  be  a  man  of 
considerable  shrewdness  and  ability.  Probably  the 
greater  part  of  the  harm  which  he  did  was  in  reality 

231 


EXPOSING  A  WIZARD 

the  fault  of  his  brother  Chatula,  the  chief  magician, 
who  always  urged  the  people  on  to  injure  Europeans 
and  the  neighbouring  tribes. 

My  people  fraternised  with  the  villagers  and 
spread  abroad  my  fame  as  a  doctor,  not  forgetting 
to  exaggerate  my  virtues,  as  became  trusty  followers. 
I  used  a  circumstance  arising  out  of  this  to  do 
Chatula  an  ill  turn,  which  went  far  to  destroy  his 
power.  He  came  to  my  hut,  and  displaying  some  bad 
sores  on  his  legs,  asked  me  to  treat  them.  I  agreed 
to  do  so,  and  secretly  sent  word  to  the  villagers  to 
come  to  my  hut.  When  they  arrived  they  found 
me  doctoring  their  doctor,  and  I  promptly  pointed 
out  that  though  he  might  foist  his  ridiculous  remedies 
upon  them,  he  came  to  a  European  when  it  was 
a  question  of  healing  his  own  diseases.  The  crowd 
howled  applause,  and  from  that  day  Chatula's  power 
began  to  decline. 

In  the  evening  some  of  the  women  came  to  me 
saying  that  they  had  heard  of  my  beautiful  pictures 
and  longed  to  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  them. 
I  obliged  them,  but  soon  the  crowd  grew  to  un- 
manageable dimensions ;  those  at  the  back  began  to 
fight  for  a  sight  of  them,  and  it  was  only  the  inter- 
vention of  Yongo  which  prevented  a  serious  riot. 

I  stayed  one  more  day  in  the  village  and  had 
several  conversations  with  Yongo.  In  one  we  were 
treating  of  the  terms  of  peace  with  the  Bakwasamba 
when  Chatula  interposed.  Simulating  rage,  I  sprang 
up  and  said  to  the  crowd  that  I  had  come  from  far 
to  speak  with  the  great  chief,  and  who  was  this  slave 

232 


A  SUCCESSFUL  EMBASSY 

that  ventured  to  give  his  opinion  when  two  great 
men  were  talking.  Chatula  took  his  punishment 
quietly  and,  on  the  whole,  Yongo  was  not  displeased. 

Although  my  mission  was  crowned  with  success, 
I  turned  my  back  on  Yongo  without  reluctance,  and 
retracing  my  path  as  far  as  Luchima,  I  headed 
directly  for  Kikwit  by  the  shortest  road.  News 
travels  quickly  in  Africa,  and  it  had  already  been 
made  known  far  and  wide  that  I  had  been  completely 
successful  in  my  embassy  to  Yongo,  and  had  not  even 
given  him  a  present.  Of  course  on  the  road  my 
people  gave  still  more  exaggerated  accounts  of  what 
I  had  accomplished  with  their  help.  When  we 
reached  the  Luano,  not  far  from  Kikwit,  my  men 
asked  me  to  stop,  which  I  did.  They  all  bathed  and 
painted  themselves  elaborately  in  red.  Shouting  and 
singing  we  made  our  entrance  into  the  station,  which 
we  had  left  about  a  month  previously,  to  be  received 
by  a  huge  crowd  drawn  from  all  surrounding  Bambala 
villages  as  a  friend  whom  they  had  already  given  up, 
but  who  now  reappeared  contrary  to  all  expectation. 


233 


CHAPTER  XV 


Native  etiquette — Treatment  of  women — Fruits  of  experience — Native  ges- 
tures— Character  of  the  Negro — Mental  traits — Just  criticism — A  good- 
tempered  race — African  women — The  labour  question — The  golden  rule 
— European  solidarity. 

I THINK  I  may  say  without  exaggeration  that  I 
have  always  been  successful  in  my  dealings  with 
the  natives,  and  I  attribute  it  to  one  thing  alone — 
my  respect  for  their  customs.  It  is  only  by  study- 
ing a  man  that  you  can  understand  him,  and  only 
by  understanding  him  that  you  can  rule  him.  When, 
therefore,  the  white  man  undertakes  to  rule  ten 
thousand  times  as  many  black  men,  he  is  bound  by 
all  the  laws  of  reason  to  make  a  study  of  their  habits, 
prejudices,  and  mental  constitution,  otherwise  he  is 
foredoomed  to  failure. 

A  European  once  spent  three  years  on  the  Kwilu, 
and  when  he  engaged  his  first  batch  of  servants  and 
had  concluded  his  contract  he  ordered  them,  possibly 
for  reasons  of  cleanliness,  to  cut  their  hair  short.  He 
was  a  good  fellow,  and  had  not  the  slightest  in- 
tention of  wounding  their  feelings.  They  obeyed,  but 
from  that  day  to  the  end  of  his  stay  he  had  a  singu- 
larly bad  reputation  among  the  natives ;  and  solely 
because  he  had  compelled  his  servants  to  cut  their 
hair  short — a  proceeding  which  in  the  native  view 
entails  personal  dishonour. 

234, 


NATIVE  ETIQUETTE 

Many  Europeans  regard  it  as  rather  clever  to 
make  fun  of  the  rehgious  or  magical  ceremonies  of 
the  peoples  among  whom  they  find  themselves ;  but 
they  could  make  no  greater  mistake  if  they  wish 
to  win  the  confidence  of  the  natives.  For  by  so 
doing  they  naturally  disgust  the  priest  or  magician, 
whose  influence  in  turn  reacts  upon  the  people.  To 
show  anything  but  respect  towards  objects  or  acts 
connected  with  the  native  ideas  of  religion  is  as 
foolish  as  it  would  be  for  an  African  to  enter  a  church 
in  England  and  make  fun  of  the  ofiiciating  clergy- 
man or  of  the  services  which  are  going  on. 

A  thorough  knowledge  of  native  ceremonies,  on 
the  other  hand,  may  be  a  means  of  gaining  great 
popularity,  A  small  present  to  the  village  fetish  is 
often  of  greater  use  than  a  big  present  given  to  the 
chief  I  have  read  somewhere  of  a  man  who  gained 
a  great  reputation  for  amiability  by  the  simple  device 
of  offending  everyone  in  order  to  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  offering  a  humble  apology ;  this  may  seem 
very  funny,  but  in  practice  it  works  exceedingly  well. 
I  practised  this  to  a  certain  extent  among  the  women 
of  the  Kwilu.  Thus,  when  a  Bambala  woman  has 
been  confined,  she  is  secluded  in  an  enclosure  behind 
the  hut ;  it  is  composed  of  poles,  from  the  tops  of  which 
depend  connecting  ropes  of  palm  leaves.  Entrance 
into  this  is  strictly  forbidden  for  any  man,  at  any  rate 
for  any  stranger ;  but  I  took  every  opportunity  of 
going  in  to  have  a  look  round,  and  then  paid  my  fine, 
to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  villagers. 

A  fine  awaits  any  man  who  takes  a  new-born 

235 


NATIVE  ETIQUETTE 

infant  into  his  arms,  but  I  made  a  point  of  picking 
them  up  and  paid  up  on  the  spot,  to  the  immense 
pleasure  of  the  natives. 

Natives  have  the  greatest  objection  to  any  mention 
of  their  own  death  ;  but  how  many  times  have  I  not 
heard  a  European  say  to  some  old  native,  "  Hello, 
not  dead  yet  ?  " 

There  is  absolutely  no  object  in  disregarding  native 
etiquette.  For  example,  if  you  invite  an  old  chief 
to  drink  with  you  he  will  be  bitterly  offended  if  you 
wait  for  him  to  drink  first ;  possibly  it  is  a  relic  of 
a  time  when  he  feared  death  by  poison  as  soon  as 
he  ventured  to  take  food  or  drink  except  among 
his  own  people  ;  but  the  fact  remains  that  native 
custom  requires  the  host  to  drink  first,  and  it  is  as 
useless  to  fight  againt  it  as  against  the  European 
custom,  equally  a  survival,  of  giving  the  right  hand 
in  greeting. 

In  most  parts  of  Central  Africa  an  important  man 
will  never  eat  in  the  presence  of  other  people.  Any- 
one who  does  so  simply  makes  himself  ridiculous  in 
the  eyes  of  the  natives. 

It  is  a  good  rule  never  to  say  to  a  native  any- 
thing that  can  even  seem  untrue.  They  are  them- 
selves prone  to  untruthfulness,  but  when  they  first 
come  in  contact  with  him  they  consider  the  white 
man  to  be  their  superior  in  this,  and  if  you  are  sus- 
pected you  are  on  the  way  to  degrade  yourself  to 
their  level.  Boasting  is  equally  dangerous,  and  ten 
times  should  he  reflect  who  thinks  it  well  to  threaten 
the  native.    For  if  you  have  declared  that  you  will 

236 


TREATMENT  OF  WOMEN 

do  this  or  that,  you  must  do  it,  A  white  man  once 
came  into  the  village  of  Kisai  in  a  famished  con- 
dition and  asked  the  chief  to  sell  him  one  of  the 
chickens  which  he  saw  running  about.  The  chief 
declined,  and  the  European  said  he  would  take  the 
fowl  himself  and  pay  for  it ;  the  chief  replied  quite 
coolly  that  it  might  be  unwise  to  do  so,  as  the 
offender  would  possibly  be  shot  by  one  of  the  vil- 
lagers ;  and  the  visitor  thought  prudence  was  the 
better  part  of  valour.  So  it  was,  but  ever  after 
when  he  came  into  that  village  he  was  laughed  at 
as  the  man  who  did  not  dare  to  take  the  chicken. 

If  you  want  to  live  in  peace  respect  the  native 
women.  In  Luano  there  is  in  the  settlement  the 
grave  of  a  European  who  was  killed  in  Lusubi  in 
1900  for  joking,  possibly  without  evil  intention, 
with  the  wife  of  a  native.  The  natives  respect 
the  white  women,  and  expect  you  to  respect  their 
wives  and  sisters.  In  a  recent  case  in  East  Africa 
it  was  asserted  that  the  natives  had  insulted  Euro- 
pean ladies ;  I  do  not  know  enough  about  the  half- 
civilised  natives  of  the  coast  to  pronounce  upon  the 
point,  but  the  native  of  the  interior  is  utterly  un- 
likely to  commit  such  an  act. 

Even  in  the  most  dangerous  parts  of  the  Congo, 
where  a  man  would  require  a  strong  military  escort, 
a  white  woman  would  always  be  able  to  pass  un- 
molested. 

The  European  in  Africa  does  not  always  suffi- 
ciently realise  his  position ;  all  eyes  are  fixed  on  him, 
as  they  would  be  on  the  king  at  a  public  function 

237 


AN  INDEX  TO  REPUTATION 

in  England.  It  is  no  use  for  the  white  man  to  say 
to  himself  that  he  is  in  Africa  in  the  "  bush,"  and 
that  it  does  not  matter ;  he  should  in  point  of  fact 
be  far  more  instead  of  less  careful. 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  treat  one's 
own  people  well.  There  are  many  people  who 
treat  strange  natives  well  and  expect  to  enjoy 
popularity  in  consequence ;  but  if  their  boys  have 
to  complain  of  ill-treatment  or  lack  of  considera- 
tion the  master  gets  a  bad  reputation,  and  cannot 
make  out  why  he  does  not  get  what  he  considers 
to  be  his  deserts. 

The  name  which  the  natives  confer  on  a  European 
is  often  an  index  to  his  reputation ;  the  hair-cutting 
individual  above-mentioned  enjoyed  the  cognomen  of 
Koy  (leopard),  and  the  natives  do  not  care  to  come 
in  contact  with  the  leopard.  Another  man  was 
known  as  Bao  (fire),  and  warning  was  thus  given 
to  those  who  came  in  contact  with  him  that  he 
was  ready  to  flare  up  at  any  moment. 

It  is  easy  to  know  what  your  boys  think  of  you 
by  listening  to  their  conversation  in  the  evening; 
if  they  speak  of  you  as  Mundele  (the  European)  it 
is  a  sign  that  they  dislike  you ;  if  they  use  your 
name,  it  is  a  mark  of  indifference ;  while  if  they 
call  you  Tata  (father),  you  may  know  that  they 
are  fond  of  you.  A  devoted  boy  will  absolutely 
identify  himself  with  you ;  he  will  speak,  as  I  have 
already  shown,  of  "we"  and  "us";  he  will  be  as 
pleased  when  you  get  a  present  as  if  he  got  it 
himself;  and  when  you  give  away  your  property, 

238 


A  MOBUNUA 


The  Babunda  inhabit  the  left  bank  of  the  Kwilu  ;  they  are  easily  recognised  by  their  hair-dress, 
consisting  of  a  very  thick,  long  plait.  They  migrated  to  the  Congo  from  Angola,  and  although 
they  conquered  their  present  country  many  years  ago,  are  still  on  the  war-path  with  the  older 
inhabitants.    They  are  the  greatest  agriculturists  and  stock-breeders  of  the  region. 


FRUITS  OF  EXPERIENCE 

even  such  as  he  could  never  hope  to  receive,  he 
will  feel  regret. 

A  European  who  travels  is  naturally  unable  to 
make  a  change  in  his  suite  whenever  he  comes  among 
a  new  tribe ;  and  he  will  necessarily  be  accompanied 
by  many  foreigners.  His  servants  will  often  con- 
sider the  natives  who  are  not  in  the  service  of  a 
European  as  quite  inferior  people,  and  will  take  every 
opportunity  of  showing  it.  The  slighest  lack  of  con- 
trol over  the  personal  followers  will  permit  them  to 
get  out  of  hand,  and  begin  to  oppress  the  natives  by 
pillage.  It  is  quite  useless,  if  a  native  comes  to  make 
a  complaint  against  one  of  your  followers,  to  make 
any  investigation ;  it  is  absolutely  certain  that  your 
follower  is  in  the  wrong.  In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  in 
which  white  men  have  fallen  victims  to  the  natives, 
the  fault  has  lain  with  the  followers.  The  simplest 
thing  is  to  keep  your  people  round  you ;  and  even 
when  they  have  received  their  ration  money,  to  pur- 
chase food  for  them  yourself.  Great  troubles  may 
thus  be  avoided  at  a  small  cost.  When  one  of  your 
followers  complains  of  being  short  of  money  on  the 
road,  give  him  the  advance  he  asks  for ;  if  he  wants 
something  and  cannot  buy  it,  he  will  certainly  steal 
it,  and  then  there  will  be  a  risk  of  disturbance. 

Do  not  tolerate  gamblers  among  your  retinue ;  not 
only  will  they  corrupt  your  other  servants,  but  their 
example  will  infect  the  whole  country,  and  the  same 
applies  to  people  who  smoke  hemp. 

The  importance  of  a  knowledge  of  native  languages 
has  already  been  pointed  out  by  many  other  travellers, 

239 


NATIVE  GESTURES 


and  there  is  no  need  to  enlarge  on  it  more ;  it  is 
sufficient  to  say  that,  in  my  opinion,  it  is  quite  impos- 
sible to  travel  in  security  if,  for  your  communications 
with  the  blacks,  you  have  to  rely  upon  the  untrust- 
worthy intervention  of  an  interpreter.  There  is  no 
situation,  however  difficult,  out  of  which  you  cannot 
escape  scatheless  if  you  only  know  how  to  speak  to 
the  people. 

Europeans  have  sometimes  misunderstood  native 
gestures,  and  awkward  situations  have  arisen.  Per- 
haps it  may  be  of  interest  to  mention  a  few  signs  used 
by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Kwilu. 

Negation,  Shrug  of  the  shoulders. 

Affirmation,  Raising  the  eyebrows. 

Admiration  for  a  girl.  Shutting  the  eyes  after  looking 

sternly  at  her  ( =  I  only 
have  eyes  for  you). 

Pointing,  Is  done  not  with  the  fingers  but 

with  the  lips. 

Calling  a  person,  Back  of  the  hand  uppermost, 

draw  the  half-bent  fingers 
inward. 

Astonishment,  One  hand  before  the  mouth, 

shake  the  head  from  side 
to  side. 

Very  great  astonishment.        Arms  at  full  length   by  the 

sides,  snap  the  fingers,  and 
say  "  My  Mother." 

It  is  easy  to  understand  that  mistakes  may  arise ; 
if,  for  instance,  a  man  is  accused  of  theft  and  shrugs 
his  shoulders,  meaning  thereby  to  deny  the  charge 
energetically,  while  you  understand  that  he  does  not 
care  what  you  say. 

240 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  NEGRO 

The  brighest  period  of  the  intellectual  life  of  the 
negro  is  between  the  ages  of  ten  and  twelve  ;  after 
that  age  he  falls  into  a  slough  of  sensuality,  and  his 
powers  fall  off,  but  up  to  that  time  the  youngsters 
easily  hold  their  own  with  European  boys,  allowance 
being  of  course  made  for  the  different  lines  on  which 
their  education  has  proceeded.  It  often  happens  that 
travellers  test  the  powers  of  natives  by  reference  to 
their  arithmetical  capabilities ;  the  Australians  are 
represented  as  very  low  in  the  scale  of  intelligence 
because  they  often  have  no  numerals  above  three, 
though  they  are  perfectly  well  aware  that  there  are 
numbers  above  three,  and  they  actually  have  names 
for  their  children  in  order  of  birth  up  to  number  nine 
both  in  males  and  females. 

In  Africa  questions  of  number  and  time  have  very 
little  relation  to  the  practical  affairs  of  life  in  spite  of 
their  extensive  trade.  I  once  had  a  conversation  with 
a  Mohuana  boy  ;  I  inquired  how  many  eggs  he  had. 
"One  less  than  ten."  "How  many  is  that?"  The 
boy  opened  his  fingers  and  proceeded  to  count,  "  One, 
two,  three  .  .  ."  up  to  nine,  I  said  I  would  take  all 
but  one,  and  in  order  to  find  out  how  many  had  to  be 
paid  for,  the  boy  again  counted  them  over.  In  the 
same  way  he  failed  to  tell  me  how  many  two  and  two 
made  or  how  old  he  was,  and  so  on.  When  I  asked 
him  how  many  days  there  were  in  the  week,  he  had 
first  to  name  them  in  succession  before  he  could  give 
me  the  right  answer — four !  On  the  other  hand,  the 
native  has  as  minute  a  knowledge  of  birds,  beasts, 
and  plants  as  is  possessed  by  the  most  enthusiastic 

241  Q 


MENTAL  TRAITS 

collector  in  Europe.  Every  native  can  tell  you  all 
about  the  fauna  and  flora  of  the  neighbourhood.  The 
Bambala  distinguish  sixteen  species  of  field  rats, 
the  Bahuana  are  a  good  second  with  eleven.  Birds 
are  not  only  known  by  sight,  but  also  by  their 
nests  and  their  cries.  Plants  are  distinguished  by 
individual  names,  and  it  is  only  in  speaking  with 
Europeans  that  general  terms  such  as  "grass"  are 
used.  Except  for  figures  their  memory  is  good,  and 
when  they  have  once  visited  a  place  its  details  are 
impressed  upon  their  brain  so  that  they  do  not 
forget  them. 

In  powers  of  observation  they  are  strikingly 
superior  to  Europeans.  They  can  detect  not  only 
the  direction  from  which  sudden  sounds  come  but 
also  locate  the  point  at  which  they  originate.  If  a 
partridge  calls,  they  can  show  you  the  very  bush  in 
which  it  is  sitting,  though  it  may  be  two  or  three 
hundred  yards  away. 

But  they  are  not  so  universally  curious  as  some 
uncivilised  races ;  they  can  tell  you  little  about  the 
heavenly  bodies,  even  in  the  way  of  mythological 
details ;  in  fact,  the  Bambala  have  a  story  which 
positively  deprecates  curiosity  in  these  matters.  They 
say  that  the  Wangongo  once  wanted  to  know  what 
the  moon  was,  so  they  started  to  go  and  see.  They 
planted  a  big  pole  in  the  ground,  and  a  man  climbed 
up  it  with  a  second  pole  which  he  fastened  to  the  end ; 
to  this  a  third  was  fixed,  and  so  on.  When  their 
Tower  of  Babel  had  reached  a  considerable  height,  so 
high  in  fact  that  the  whole  population  of  the  village 

242 


JUST  CRITICISM 

was  carrying  poles  up,  the  erection  suddenly  collapsed, 
and  they  fell  victims  to  their  ill-advised  curiosity. 
Since  that  time  no  one  has  tried  to  find  out  what  the 
moon  is.^ 

It  has  already  been  remarked  that  the  negro  has 
a  curious  habit  of  replying  to  one  question  by  asking 
another.  It  must  not  be  supposed  for  a  moment  that 
they  mean  to  be  insolent ;  but  it  is  a  habit  which 
easily  provokes  the  European  to  lose  his  temper,  and 
when  the  temper  is  lost  the  advantage  of  the  European 
is  lost  too. 

New-comers  in  savage  lands  are  too  often  forgetful 
of  the  fact  that  they  are  intruders ;  traders  and 
travellers  especially  should  bear  in  mind  that  they 
sojourn  in  the  land  by  the  goodwill  of  the  native, 
lacking  as  they  are  in  the  support  of  the  European 
Government.  An  uninvited  guest  may,  under  favour- 
able circumstances,  receive  hospitality  in  Europe ; 
but  what  would  happen  if,  instead  of  recognising  his 
position,  he  proceeded  to  order  his  hosts  about  and 
remodel  their  household  arrangements  on  his  own 
lines  ? 

Colonisation  is  in  itself  an  injustice,  for  it  means 
that  one  race  subordinates  the  wishes  and  even  the 
moral  and  material  advantage  of  another  so-called 
"inferior"  race  to  the  enrichment  of  its  own  emi- 
grants, or  of  capitalists  who  remain  at  home  and 
know  nothing  of  the  misery  which  their  greed  for 

*  Since  completing  the  manuscript  of  this  book,  I  found  that  this  same 
story  is  quoted  by  Jacottet,  Etudes  sur  les  langues  du  Haut  Zambesi,  Part  11., 
p.  115,  as  existing  among  the  peoples  of  the  Upper  Zambesi. 

243 


A  GOOD-TEMPERED  RACE 

gold  entails.  If  an  alien  race  is  to  be  led  it  must  be 
by  a  close  study  of  their  mental  constitution,  their 
habits,  their  religion,  and  their  capacity  for  accepting 
new  ideas. 

The  European  who  goes  to  Africa  for  the  first 
time  is  prejudiced  against  the  natives  by  the  tales 
of  white  men  on  board  ship  or  on  the  coast.  He  is 
prejudiced  by  observations  of  the  negroes  on  the 
coast,  for  these  have  all  the  vices  of  both  black  and 
white  races  and  the  virtues  of  neither.  If  anyone 
wishes  to  know  the  negro  as  he  is,  let  him  abstain 
from  forming  any  opinion  till  he  gets  away  from  the 
littoral  and  meets  with  natives  uncorrupted  by  bad 
spirits,  European  morals,  and  the  love  of  gain  by  fair 
means  or  fraud. 

I  have  twice  crossed  the  Congo  Free  State  and 
I  can  honestly  say  that  I  have  never  come  across 
a  tribe  which  was  not  naturally  good-tempered.  It 
may  truly  be  said  that,  broadly  speaking,  these  people 
only  wish  to  live  in  peace  themselves  and  are  quite 
ready  to  let  everyone  else  live  in  peace.  Perhaps  this 
may  seem  to  be  at  variance  with  the  continual  inter- 
tribal wars,  which  have  so  often  figured  in  the  pre- 
ceding pages ;  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
serious  war  is  an  exceptional  thing ;  as  a  rule  these 
tribal  difierences  are  no  more  deadly  than  mediaeval 
tournaments.  Just  as  in  Australia  the  first  wound 
was  the  signal  for  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  so  in 
Africa ;  only  in  the  latter  case  the  proceedings 
terminated  with  a  palaver  and  the  payment  of 
compensation. 

244 


AFEICAN  WOMEN 

The  native  lives  the  life  of  a  country  gentleman, 
it  may  be  said ;  after  breakfast  he  goes  out  shooting"; 
then  he  goes  to  quarter  sessions  (milonga)  ;  after  this 
he  calls  upon  a  few  acquaintances  and  possibly  a  lady 
friend  or  two ;  and  if  it  is  moonlight  he  winds  up  by 
going  to  a  ball.  Some  who  are  fond  of  liquor  join 
company  with  a  few  friends  in  the  evening  and  make 
up  a  drinking  party,  after  which  the  faithful  followers 
carry  the  noble  lord  home.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  on  the  Kwilu  chief,  free  man,  and  slave  all  lead 
the  same  life,  whereas  in  Europe  only  a  small  propor- 
tion of  the  community  are  able  to  lead  the  life  of  a 
country  gentleman. 

Woman  in  Africa  is  the  subject  of  much  miscon- 
ception ;  she  is  represented  as  a  mere  beast  of  burden, 
condemned  to  undertake  the  most  laborious  tasks,  the 
absolute  slave  of  her  husband ;  but  although  she  is 
the  tiller  of  the  fields,  the  land  is  so  fertile  that 
the  work  involved  in  the  cultivation  of  the  ground 
is  far  from  being  severe.  As  a  result  the  women 
have  a  good  part  of  the  day  to  themselves,  which 
they  occupy  with  gossip  like  the  idle  woman  in 
Europe. 

Both  sexes,  especially  in  their  youth,  devote  a 
large  part  of  the  day  to  their  toilette,  which, 
simple  as  it  may  appear  to  us,  yet  demands  for 
the  due  accomplishment  of  its  rites  far  more  time 
than  a  first  glance  would  lead  the  observer  to 
suppose. 

It  is  quite  natural  that  when  a  European  bursts 
into  this  idyllic  life  and  requests  a  people,  thus 

245 


THE  LABOUR  QUESTION 

brought  up,  to  work,  they  do  not  like  the  idea.  But 
if  he  can  show  them  goods  which  irresistibly  appeal 
to  their  love  of  finery  or  some  other  aboriginal  in- 
stinct, that  is  quite  a  different  matter.  If  you  show 
some  beads  to  a  man  it  will  never  occur  to  him  to 
work  for  them.  But  give  a  small  present  of  beads  to 
a  woman  and  the  wives  will  leave  their  husbands  no 
peace  till  they  have  earned  for  them  an  equal  or 
superior  stock  of  these  valuables. 

In  the  Kwilu  fashions  change  quite  as  rapidly  as 
they  do  in  Europe ;  and  herein  perhaps  lies  the  ex- 
planation of  the  rapid  solution  of  the  labour  question, 
which  is  almost  non-existent,  for  the  difficulty  is 
not  to  get  labourers,  but  to  find  the  right  men  to 
work. 

Of  course  the  strongest  stimulant,  literally  and 
metaphorically,  is  alcohol,  but  fortunately  the  laws 
of  the  country  forbid  its  importation,  and  the  trader 
has  to  find  some  other  means  of  spurring  on  the 
black  races  to  toil  for  him — a  less  easy  matter  than 
may  be  imagined. 

Fear  is  a  bad  counsellor ;  when  strangers  come 
face  to  face  they  are  apt  to  be  afraid  of  each 
other's  intentions,  whether  they  be  white  or  black. 
Many  attacks,  on  either  side,  are  due,  not  to  enmity 
or  mere  superfluous  martial  ardour,  but  to  fear. 
When  it  is  reported  that  a  European  has  killed  a 
native,  it  is  generally  safe  to  assume  that  he  is  a 
pessimist,  who  sees  danger  everywhere  and  jumps  to 
the  conclusion  that  those  who  approach  him  do  so 
with  unfriendly  intentions.    Of  course  the  climate  is 

246 


THE  GOLDEN  RULE 


against  him  ;  his  liver  is  probably  permanently  out  of 
order ;  and  the  excessive  heat  predisposes  him  to 
rashness.  But  the  fact  remains  that  Europeans  are 
too  prone  to  regard  the  native  as  an  enemy  and  to 
treat  him  accordingly. 

"  Do  unto  others  as  you  would  that  they  should 
do  unto  you."  Although  the  natives  are  not  Chris- 
tians, they  live  up  to  this  commandment  far  better 
than  most  professing  Christians.  If  one  man  has 
food  it  is  quite  natural  for  him  to  share  it  with  his 
fellows  without  being  asked ;  when  a  caravan  is 
preparing  to  start  there  is  no  need  for  a  man  to 
ask  his  neighbour  to  give  him  a  hand  when  he 
wants  to  put  his  load  up ;  his  neighbour  comes  to 
his  aid  of  his  own  accord.  In  the  same  way,  on  a 
journey  a  carrier  who  falls  sick  is  relieved  of  his  load, 
and  in  bad  cases  may  even  be  carried  in  a  hammock 
by  his  companions.  A  strong  man  will  exchange 
his  light  load  for  the  heavy  load  of  a  weaker  tribes- 
man and  so  on. 

It  even  happens  that  the  innocent  slave  of  an 
important  chief  who  has  committed  a  crime  will  give 
himself  up  to  justice  and  admit  the  crime ;  he  will 
suffer  punishment  and  even  allow  himself  to  be  put  to 
death  without  withdrawing  his  confession,  and  it  is 
this  that  makes  the  task  of  the  European  magistrate 
particularly  difficult. 

The  greatest  obstacle,  however,  to  the  administra- 
tion of  justice  is  the  solidarity  of  Europeans  and  the 
natural  reluctance  of  everyone  to  report  to  a  magistrate 
the  misdeeds  of  a  fellow  white  man.    A  settler  may  be 

247 


EUKOPEAN  SOLIDARITY 

at  variance  with  his  neighbour  and  despise  him  for 
cowardly  crimes  against  the  natives,  but  if  the  neigh- 
bour gets  into  a  scrape  he  will  always  try  to  get  him 
out  of  it,  even  at  some  risk  to  himself.  No  one  denies 
that  from  the  point  of  view  of  absolute  justice  this  is 
a  great  evil,  and  it  greatly  diminishes  the  prestige  of 
Europeans ;  but  it  is  easy  to  overlook  the  personal 
side  of  the  question  and  fail  to  see  how  hard  it  is 
to  refuse  the  request  of  a  man  who  comes  admitting 
his  fault  and  recognising  that  he  cannot  claim  mercy 
on  his  own  merits,  but  begs  for  help  to  avert  the 
shame  from  the  old  people  in  Europe  who  are  so  proud 
of  their  son.  He  may  not  even  ask  for  active  help ; 
it  will  perhaps  suffice  that  the  other  man  should  keep 
a  quiet  tongue  in  his  head  for  twenty-four  hours  and 
all  will  be  well. 

It  is  hard  to  resist  such  an  appeal,  especially  when 
it  is  made  to  a  newcomer  from  Europe  whose  home 
associations  are  fresh.  Seldom  will  a  man  under  such 
conditions  find  it  in  his  heart  to  send  to  the  gallows 
even  the  criminal  whom  in  Europe  he  would  un- 
hesitatingly deliver  up  to  justice. 

He  finds  himself  in  the  same  dilemma  as  our  old 
friend.  Huckleberry  Finn,  when  he  hesitated  whether 
he  should  assist  the  runaway  nigger,  Jim,  to  escape, 
or  should  give  him  up  ;  the  parson,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, had  told  him  that  connivance  at  the  escape  of 
a  runaway  slave  would  surely  be  visited  by  punish- 
ment in  the  Infernal  Regions,  and  the  issue  of  his 
deliberations  was  as  follows : — 

"  It  was  a  close  place,  ...  I  was  trembling  because 

248 


EUROPEAN  SOLIDARITY 

I'd  got  to  decide  for  ever  betwixt  two  things,  and  I 
knowed  it.  I  studied  a  minute,  sort  of  holding  my 
breath,  and  then  I  says  to  myself :  '  All  right  then, 
I'll  go  to  hell.' "  And  the  decision  of  the  European 
when  a  fellow-white  is  in  trouble  is  usually  to  the 
same  effect. 


249 


CHAPTER  XVI 


Original  labour — The  Bapindi  tribe — Stocking  the  larder — Bye-laws — Prelim- 
inary hostilities — A  bid  for  peace — A  perilous  situation — A  satisfactory 
solution — A  native  philosopher — A  youthful  squire — An  enthusiastic 
welcome — The  old  story — Flattering  attentions — A  sorrowful  parting — 
"  Good-bye,  Bambala." 

THOUGH  it  was  not  till  1904  that  it  began  to 
attain  its  present  importance,  Kikwit  had  been 
founded  some  time  previously.  It  was  the  establish- 
ment of  good  relations  with  the  Bambala  which  raised 
it  to  the  position  of  the  leading  commercial  centre  on 
the  Kwilu.  It  now  serves  an  area  of  over  5000  miles, 
and  its  importance  is  still  growing.  As  many  as  600 
carriers  may  sometimes  be  seen  waiting  to  start  for 
the  different  factories  with  loads  of  goods ;  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Kwilu  the  men  are  Babunda,  on  the 
left,  Bambala. 

There  is  also  a  native  village  of  Kikwit,  but  it  is 
unimportant ;  the  village  which  has  made  Kikwit 
what  it  is — Zimba — lies  some  half  an  hour  distant  to 
the  south-west ;  it  consists  of  many  hundreds  of  huts, 
and  is  probably  the  wealthiest  community  on  the 
river,  not  only  because  its  inhabitants  were  the  first 
to  sell  their  labour  to  Europeans,  but  also  because 
of  its  agricultural  activity.  It  often  happens  that 
hundreds  of  foreign  workers  are  in  Kikwit  waiting  to 
be  transported  to  the  various  factories,  and  as  they 

250 


ORGANISED  LABOUR 

are  all  fed  by  Zimba  it  is  natural  that  the  village 
should  rapidly  grow  rich. 

The  chief  of  Zimba  is  named  Matuku,  but,  as  very 
often  happens,  the  power  is  in  the  hands  of  his  brother 
Malonda.  It  was  the  latter  who  organised  the  supply 
of  labour  on  the  river,  which  is  so  arranged  that  a 
man  works  six  months  in  two  years ;  there  are  four 
sets  of  villages,  and  at  the  end  of  his  contract  of  six 
months  a  man  goes  back  home  till  it  is  again  the 
turn  of  his  village  to  furnish  labourers ;  as  a  matter  of 
fact  they  look  forward  eagerly  to  the  time  when  they 
will  again  be  able  to  earn  money.  Although  payment 
is  made  to  each  man  individually,  the  labour  is  never- 
theless to  some  extent  communal  in  character ;  for  if 
a  man  is  disinclined  to  work  in  the  middle  of  the 
week,  he  arranges  for  one  of  his  fellows  to  take  his 
place  and  the  wages  are  shared  between  them. 

The  native  conception  of  honesty  permits  him  to 
cheat  a  stranger  to  an  unlimited  extent ;  but  he  never 
cheats  a  friend.  The  Bambala  caravans  are  not  under 
any  supervision,  but  there  has  never  been  a  single  case 
of  a  carrier  absconding  with  his  load.  If  a  man  is 
taken  ill  in  the  bush  and  has  to  leave  his  load,  it  is 
fetched  by  a  man  of  the  next  village  and  payment  is 
demanded  on  the  return  journey. 

Although  the  Bambala  do  not  abscond  before  their 
term  is  up,  there  are  also  Bapindi  workmen,  and  it  is 
for  their  benefit  that  the  weekly  payment  of  wages 
has  been  introduced,  for  if  they  took  their  departure 
in  the  middle  of  the  month — a  proceeding  which 
might  be  tolerated  but  could  not  be  recognised  in  any 

251 


THE  BAPINDI  TRIBE 

way — there  would  be  a  considerable  amount  of  pre- 
judice aroused,  for  the  man  would  certainly  say  that 
he  had  been  compelled  to  work  without  pay. 

The  Bapindi  are  in  every  way  less  trustworthy  than 
the  Bambala,  and  they  have  this  reputation  among 
the  surrounding  tribes.  When  they  are  employed 
as  carriers  it  is  impossible  to  send  them  off  alone, 
as  is  done  with  the  Bambala  ;  one  of  the  latter  is 
employed  to  supervise  them.  As  I  never  lived  among 
them,  but  only  saw  them  as  labourers  in  Kikwit,  I 
cannot  deal  with  them  from  an  ethnographical  point 
of  view ;  but  their  history  being  better  known  than 
that  of  any  other  people  of  the  Kwilu,  some  of  it  may 
be  given  here. 

The  Bapindi  are  found  in  two  distinct  settlements 
on  the  Kwilu.  The  main  body  are  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Kwilu  between  5°  30'  and  6°  30' ;  a  smaller  colony 
is  found  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Kwengo,  between  the 
Bambala  and  the  Bayaka,  and  there  is  an  offshoot  of 
this  section  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Kwilu  near 
Kikwit.  As  far  as  is  known  the  main  section  extends 
eastwards  as  far  as  the  Kasai,  where  Wissmann  found 
them  settled  in  territory  belonging  to  Mai  Munene,  to 
whom  they  were  paying  tribute. 

They  originate  as  most  of  the  Kwilu  tribes  from 
the  upper  Kwango,  from  whence  they  were  driven  in 
the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  by  the 
Kanguri  chief.  A  large  proportion  were  driven  to 
the  north,  and  these  are  those  whom  we  find  now  in 
the  Kwilu  region ;  those  who  stayed  in  their  country 
lived  with  the  invaders  and  formed  with  them  the 

252 


Southern  Bambala  Man  and  Woman 

The  difference  between  the  dresses  of  a  Souxhern  Hambala  man  and  woman  is  very  small  and  lies 
simply  in  the  different  way  in  which  the  folds  of  the  loin-cloth  fall  ;  it  would  be  considered  an 
impossible  thing  for  a  man  or  woiian  not  to  observe  this  difference,  however  unimportant  it  may 
seem  to  us. 


STOCKING  THE  LARDER 

Imbangala  tribe,  who  again  are  related  to  the  Bakwese, 
though  the  relationship  is  no  more  recognised.  The 
Bapindi,  adapting  themselves  to  circumstances,  have 
become  considerably  different  in  character  in  the  two 
sections  above  mentioned.  Those  in  the  north  have 
become  peaceful  agriculturists,  while  those  in  the 
south,  who  have  to  continually  repel  the  attacks  of 
the  Badjoke,  are  extremely  warlike.  Having  beaten 
the  Badjoke  in  the  year  1892  through  the  help,  they 
supposed,  of  a  fetish  which  they  had  received  from  a 
European,  they  have  destroyed  completely  a  part  of 
the  country  between  6°  30'  and  7° ;  this  strip  of  land 
serves  as  a  march  against  the  invaders  of  the  south. 
It  extends  from  the  Kwengo  to  the  Loanje. 

The  Bapindi  who  are  cannibals  buy  slaves  from 
the  neighbouring  tribes  to  stock  the  larder  ;  they  do 
not  enjoy  much  consideration  from  their  neighbours 
who  say  that  they  are  thieves  and  liars.  The  experi- 
ence I  had  of  them  seemed  to  justify  this  reputation. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Kwengo  the  Bapindi  weave 
pile  cloth  with  velvety  patterns  which  are  extremely 
handsome.  As  none  of  the  neighbouring  tribes  has  a 
knowledge  of  such  weaving  it  may  be  supposed  that 
the  Bapindi  invented  the  process. 

Where  so  many  different  tribes  are  gathered 
together  it  is  naturally  of  great  importance  to  see  that 
a  due  supply  of  food  is  at  hand,  and  with  this  view  a 
daily  market  is  held  in  Kikwit,  served  by  the  women 
of  Zimba.  Supply  and  demand  do  not  always  corre- 
spond, and  shortness  of  food  having  given  rise  to 
occasional  quarrels,  I  was  obliged  to  establish  a  market 

253 


BYE-LAWS 


police.  Sometimes  a  Mopindi  or  other  native  waylaid 
a  Zimba  woman  on  her  way  to  market  and  robbed 
her  of  her  produce.  I  therefore  made  it  a  rule  that 
no  one,  even  with  the  most  honest  intentions,  might 
approach  the  women  before  the  latter  reached  the 
shed  in  which  the  market  was  held.  Here  there  were 
thirty  men  of  Zimba  always  employed  in  making 
baskets,  and  they  were  naturally  ready  to  protect 
their  own  women.  I  prescribed  that  if  anyone  in- 
fringed my  rule  and  accosted  a  woman  on  her  way 
she  was  to  cry  for  help,  and  the  men  of  Zimba  were 
then  authorised  to  rush  upon  the  offender  and  chastise 
him  thoroughly. 

After  two  or  three  examples  had  been  made,  the 
presence  of  the  police  was  sufficient,  and  thus  the 
supply  of  food  was  assured.  If  the  women  had  been 
scared  away  it  would  have  meant  starvation  for  the 
community  of  workmen,  for  there  were  no  other  means 
of  securing  a  supply  of  food. 

I  was  not  permitted  to  enjoy  for  long  my  peaceful 
life  in  Kikwit.  A  war  had  been  carried  on  between 
Moangi  and  Bumba  for  some  two  years,  and  it  assumed 
such  dimensions  that  the  peace  of  the  whole  district 
was  threatened.  I  had  therefore  to  set  out  on  an 
expedition  to  try  to  establish  peace.  I  had  seen  some- 
thing of  the  war  on  my  way  to  Baba,  when  two  men 
from  Moangi  had  asked  permission  to  join  my  caravan. 
In  the  evening  we  were  sitting  round  the  fires  and 
chatting  when  suddenly  a  cry  was  heard  and  the  two 
men  rolled  over,  shot  by  the  arrows  of  the  Bumba 
people  who  had  followed  them. 

254 


PKELIMINARY  HOSTILITIES 


This  incident  had  already  decided  me  to  inter- 
vene, and  the  spread  of  hostilities  made  it  still  more 
urgent.  I  started  therefore  for  Moangi,  which  is 
really  a  congeries  of  villages  separated  by  consider- 
able distances,  all  bearing  the  same  name.  Each 
has  its  own  chief,  but  there  is  a  paramount  chief 
named  Matelo,  an  intelligent  man  with  pronounced 
Semitic  features.  The  total  number  of  warriors  was 
perhaps  2500.  Their  opponents  were  the  village  of 
Bumba,  a  large  place  of  1500  warriors,  which  had 
secured  a  sufficient  number  of  allies  to  make  the 
forces  about  equal.  The  leader  of  this  group  was 
Kaseko. 

The  war  had  originated  in  the  firing  of  the  bush 
belonging  to  Moangi  by  the  people  of  Bumba ;  this 
meant  that  the  rats,  the  principal  game  animal  of 
this  part  from  the  negro  point  of  view,  were  driven 
away  without  the  people  of  Moangi  having  the  chance 
of  shooting  them.  This  infringement  of  the  game 
laws  naturally  aroused  in  every  manly  bosom  the 
passion  for  revenge.  The  people  of  Bumba  did  not 
justify  themselves  by  any  appeal  to  abstract  prin- 
ciples ;  their  plea  was  that  an  ancestor  of  Matelo 
had  once  done  the  same  to  one  of  their  tracts  of 
bush. 

Just  when  I  was  setting  out  a  Bakwese  chief 
named  Jimbu  Nene  of  Kingongo  (Luchima)  came  to 
visit  me,  and  when  he  found  that  I  was  going  his  way, 
begged  to  be  allowed  to  join  my  caravan.  As  a  rule 
it  is  a  mistake  to  allow  friendly  chiefs  to  accompany 
an  embassy ;  they  always  have  some  private  advan- 

255 


A  BID  FOR  PEACE 

tage  in  view ;  but  I  could  not  refuse  in  this  case  as 
he  had  come  from  a  great  distance  to  see  me. 

In  the  course  of  the  second  day  we  arrived  in 
Moangi,  and  the  chiefs  seemed  prepared  to  accept  my 
intervention,  but  I  saw  clearly  that  they  only  did  so 
in  the  expectation  of  being  top  dog  in  the  discussion. 
I  carefully  abstained  from  giving  details,  but  set  out 
for  Bumba,  about  ten  miles  distant,  to  inform  the 
people  that  I  intended  to  make  peace  between  them 
and  their  enemies.  They,  too,  seemed  to  have  no 
doubt  that  they  would  carry  their  points. 

It  was  arranged  that  the  two  chiefs  should  come 
alone  and  unarmed  on  the  following  day  and  meet 
me  midway  between  their  respective  villages  to 
discuss  the  terms  of  peace,  but  this  was  more  easily 
promised  than  performed.  On  the  following  day  the 
warriors  of  Moangi,  whither  I  had  returned,  abso- 
lutely refused  to  allow  their  chief  to  set  out  alone 
in  my  company ;  and  my  own  carriers,  too,  insisted 
on  accompanying  me  to  the  rendezvous.  Not  even 
the  threat  of  my  anger  suflSced  to  dissuade  them ; 
for  they  said  they  had  come  as  my  men,  and  that  if 
anything  happened  to  me  when  I  was  engaged  on 
the  task  of  keeping  the  peace  between  two  hostile 
tribes,  they  would  never  be  able  to  return  to  their 
village,  for  they  would  be  branded  as  cowards. 

We  set  out  therefore,  I  with  my  people,  Matelo 
accompanied  by  several  hundred  warriors,  armed  to 
the  teeth ;  and  when  we  arrived  at  the  appointed 
place,  there  was  the  chief  of  Bumba  with  all  his 
warriors  too.    It  was  a  dangerous  situation,  for  one 

256 


A  PERILOUS  SITUATION 

single  arrow  would  have  started  a  mighty  conflict. 
I  kept  the  groups  at  a  distance  of  about  200  yards 
and  tried  to  persuade  the  chiefs  to  dismiss  their 
men  and  come  into  the  centre  alone  to  discuss  matters 
with  me.  Matelo  was  prepared  to  follow  my  advice, 
but  Kaseko  would  not  leave  his  people.  Sarcasm 
failed  to  induce  him  to  change  his  mind,  though  I 
pointed  out  how  much  braver  his  opponent  had  shown 
himself  to  be.  At  last  one  of  my  own  people  came 
up  and  said,  "  Deke,  this  won't  do ;  you  will  never 
make  any  progress  in  this  way.  The  only  thing  is 
for  you  to  go  backwards  and  forwards  between  them, 
carrying  messages  from  the  one  side  to  the  other." 
So  for  hours  under  the  burning  sun  I  was  engaged 
in  the  work  of  an  express  messenger,  carrying  from 
one  side  to  the  other  the  comments  of  each  party  on 
the  views  of  their  opponents. 

At  last  we  arrived  at  a  satisfactory  solution,  and 
one  of  the  chiefs  suggested  that  I  should  give  them 
kissi  (fetish)  to  make  the  peace  binding.  Here  was  a 
new  dilemma,  for  I  had  quite  forgotten  to  provide 
myself  with  apparatus  of  that  sort.  Meyey,  however, 
had  borne  the  matter  in  mind,  as  he  informed  me, 
and  had  brought  the  necessary  materials.  One  day 
he  had  looked  into  a  box  of  poudre  de  riz  in  my 
possession  and  been  told  that  it  was  hissi ;  thinking 
that  I  might  need  it  on  my  difficult  undertaking,  he 
had  brought  it  with  him  and  he  now  produced  it.  So 
now  the  powder,  whose  original  purpose  was  to  conceal 
the  ravages  made  by  time  in  the  complexion  of  a 
belle,  was  applied  to  the  head,  arms,  chest,  and  legs 

257  R 

il 


A  SATISFACTORY  SOLUTION 

of  two  African  potentates,  to  the  accompaniment  of 
the  most  horrible  imprecations  on  them,  if  they  should 
ever  renew  the  war. 

In  reply  to  their  inquiry  as  to  the  ingredients  of 
my  kissi,  I  informed  them  that  it  was  composed  of 
many  mysterious  components,  the  chief  of  which  was 
the  powdered  skulls  of  men  slain  in  war  ;  and  in  con- 
sideration of  my  efforts  to  promote  peace  and  of  the 
expenditure  of  kissi  I  required  each  of  them  to  hand 
over  to  me  the  skulls  of  two  men  killed  during  the 
present  hostilities.  They  agreed  to  do  this,  and  these 
trophies  are  to  be  seen  at  the  present  day  in  the 
Museum  at  South  Kensington,  somewhat  dilapidated 
owing  to  the  way  in  which  their  possessors  were 
handled  in  the  fight. 

Perhaps  some  strait-laced  people  may  be  disposed 
to  reproach  me  with  encouraging  a  belief  in  false  gods 
or  the  futilities  of  magic ;  but  my  only  object  was 
to  prevent  those  good  people  from  again  going  to 
war  with  each  other,  and  I  adopted  the  sole  means 
of  doing  so.  It  would  be  as  reasonable  to  criticise 
an  English  judge  who  permits  a  Chinese  witness  to 
break  a  saucer  in  the  Court  of  Justice.  Every  people 
must  be  sworn  in  the  manner  which  they  regard  as 
binding. 

On  the  following  day  I  left  Moangi,  and  going 
nearly  due  south,  made  my  way  direct  to  Luchima, 
and  thence  to  Yongo,  where  I  found  that  the  chief 
had  been  as  good  as  his  word,  having  abstained  from 
any  further  attack  on  the  Bakwasamba  in  accordance 
with  the  conditions  of  peace  which  I  had  laid  down. 

258 


A  CONTRAST 

I  pursued  my  journey  to  the  south  and  visited 
several  villages  ;  then,  turning  west  and  north,  I  made 
my  way  to  the  village  of  Murikongo,  the  great  chief 
of  the  Bakwese,  who  actually  rules  over  the  Bag- 
wandala.  He  is  as  much  respected  throughout  the 
country  as  Yongo  is  feared.  It  is  quite  astonishing 
to  see  the  difference  between  the  character  of  the 
subjects  of  these  two  chiefs,  a  difference  clearly  due 
to  the  influence  of  their  rulers.  Yongo  orders  his 
men  about,  threatening  them  all  the  time,  Murikongo 
expresses  a  wish  and  cheerful  obedience  is  shown. 
The  Bagwandala  are  a  peaceful  population  devoted 
to  agriculture,  and  it  was  a  real  pleasure  to  be  in 
their  midst  after  a  stay  with  the  boastful  warriors 
of  Yongo. 

To  arrive  at  the  village  of  Murikongo  I  had  to 
cross  the  Biere ;  this  I  did  upon  a  bridge,  if  so  it 
may  be  called.  It  consists  of  a  single  log  of  wood, 
some  3  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  water,  so 
that  the  only  way  for  me  to  cross  in  safety  was 
for  a  man  to  precede  me,  to  whose  shoulders  I 
clung  for  support.  One  of  my  sturdy  followers 
offered  to  carry  me  over  the  slippery  log  to  the 
other  side,  and  I  am  convinced  that  he  would  have 
been  as  good  as  his  word,  for  the  Bambala  are 
exceedingly  sure-footed.  But  a  feeling  of  amour 
propre  prevented  me  from  accepting  his  offer. 

Murikongo  was  a  charming  old  gentleman,  and 
it  was  from  him  that  I  got  the  history  of  his 
tribe  given  in  Chapter  X.  He  had  travelled  far 
in   his   youth,   having   even   seen   the   great  salt 

259 


A  NATIVE  PHILOSOPHER 

water,  of  the  marvels  of  which  he  still  had  some- 
thing to  say.  In  the  course  of  conversation  I 
asked  him  how  it  was  that  he  allowed  his  brother 
to  usurp  a  great  part  of  his  power  as  he  did.  He 
replied  that  he  was  old ;  he  had  seen  much  of  the 
world  and  had  had  rough  passages  in  his  life  as 
well  as  smooth  ones.  Formerly  he  had  ruled  over 
a  land  five  times  as  big  as  that  which  he  now 
governed,  but  even  then  he  was  not  happier  than 
now,  for  at  the  present  time  he  was  wealthy  ;  he 
had  wives  and  children,  he  had  only  to  express  a 
wish  and  it  was  done,  and  what  more  could  a  man 
wish  for  in  the  autumn  of  his  life  ?  I  learned  to 
love  this  old  philosopher,  and  gladly  promised  to 
pay  him  a  second  visit,  though,  as  it  turned  out,  I 
was  not  destined  to  do  so,  being  obliged  to  return 
unexpectedly  to  Europe.  I  hope  to  find  him  alive 
when  I  again  go  back  to  the  Congo,  so  that  I  may 
explain  why  I  was  unable  to  keep  my  word ;  his 
good  opinion  being  of  great  value  to  me. 

Leaving  Murikongo,  I  went  to  see  Momambulu, 
chief  of  the  Bakwasamba,  with  whom  Yongo  had 
been  at  war.  I  had  some  difiiculty  in  finding  his 
village  because  he  had  removed  it  from  the  beaten 
track,  and  I  found  it  still  protected  by  outposts, 
though  peace  had  been  established.  Our  approach 
was  signalled,  but  some  time  elapsed  before  I  could 
see  him.  When  he  arrived  I  saw  that  the  cause 
of  the  delay  was  the  preparation  he  had  made  for 
my  reception  ;  the  most  prominent  part  of  his 
costume   was  his  head-gear,  a  cap  of  red  cloth 

260 


A  NATIVE  PHILOSOPHER 

bordered  by  two  3 -foot  wings  stiffened  with  wire, 
which  bore  a  close  resemblance  to  the  head-dress 
of  Alsatian  peasant  women.  His  uniform  coat 
must,  to  judge  by  its  gorgeousness,  have  once  be- 
longed to  the  general  of  a  South  American  republic, 
but  the  rest  of  his  clothing  was  hardly  to  match ; 
it  was  simply  a  piece  of  native  cloth  round  his 
loins. 

He  sang  his  own  praises  to  the  skies  in  his 
opening  speech,  trying  to  impress  me  with  the  idea 
that  by  my  interference  I  had  saved  Yongo's  life. 
I  did  not  contradict  him,  but  when  he  suggested 
that  Yongo  ought  now  to  recognise  him  as  his 
suzerain,  I  was  compelled  to  tell  him  that  only 
my  intervention  had  saved  him  from  total  de- 
struction with  all  his  people.  He  admitted  the 
justice  of  this  remark,  and  said  that  he  had  only 
boasted  because  he  did  not  know  that  I  was  so 
well  up  in  current  politics.  He  gave  me  the  im- 
pression that  the  events  of  the  war  had  completely 
broken  him,  and  for  his  sake  I  hope  that  the  white 
man  will  save  him  from  his  enemies ;  for  he  has  no 
energy  left,  though  in  former  times  he  was  noted 
for  his  persistence. 

When  I  paid  another  visit  to  Yongo  he  was 
troubled  at  the  idea  of  my  having  visited  all  the 
other  chiefs,  and  suggested  that  on  a  future  occasion 
I  should  stay  in  his  village  and  let  him  fetch  all 
those  whom  I  wished  to  see,  Murikongo  alone  ex- 
cepted, for  whom  he  expressed  a  great  respect.  I 
laughingly  suggested  some  doubts  as  to  whether 

261 


A  YOUTHFUL  SQUIRE 

they  would  come ;  but  he  said  I  need  have  no 
fears ;  he  would  bring  them  along. 

It  was  during  this  visit  that  his  son  Totchi, 
a  boy  of  ten,  asked  me  to  take  him  to  the  river 
to  see  all  the  marvels  of  civilisation,  of  which 
Meyey  had  given  such  glowing  accounts.  I  said  I 
was  quite  prepared  to  do  so  if  his  father  raised 
no  objection,  and  Yongo  fell  in  with  the  scheme. 
Totchi  thereupon  attached  himself  to  me  as  my 
personal  attendant,  and  did  not  move  an  inch  from 
my  side ;  when  people  came  to  speak  to  me  he 
rebuked  some  of  them  for  coming  too  near  the 
great  man ;  others  he  chid  because  they  failed  to 
show  their  respect  and  stood  too  far  away.  He 
guarded  the  entrance  of  my  tent  against  intruders 
and  kept  a  watchful  eye  upon  all  my  belongings. 
Bit  by  bit  he  became  confidential  and  told  me  all 
the  gossip  of  the  village,  among  other  things  that 
it  was  not  his  father  who  was  the  evil-doer,  but 
his  uncle  Chatula.  In  this  he  was  confirmed  by 
Chatula's  own  son,  a  lively  imp  of  five,  who  said 
that  his  father  would  be  only  too  glad  to  do  me 
some  harm  if  only  he  did  not  fear  both  me  and 
his  brother  Yongo. 

The  next  morning  Totchi  was  nowhere  to  be 
found,  and  I  was  told  he  had  been  shut  up  to 
prevent  him  from  accompanying  me  ;  for  the  final 
decision  as  to  his  journey  lay  with  his  mother's 
brother,  Moata  Bondo,  and  in  his  absence  nothing 
could  be  done.  I  never  saw  him  again,  but  before 
I  left  for  Europe  I  sent  him  a  memento,  so  I  may 

262 


AN  ENTHUSIASTIC  WELCOME 

be  certain  that  if  ever  I  return  I  shall  always  have 
a  friend  in  the  enemies'  camp. 

We  made  good  time  on  the  way  back  to  Kikwit, 
and  when  I  arrived  I  was  again  greeted  enthu- 
siastically. It  had  become  a  habit  with  the  people  of 
all  the  neighbouring  villages  to  assemble  when  I 
returned  from  a  journey  and,  putting  me  in  the 
middle,  to  stand  round  and  sing  songs.  A  European 
who  was  present  remarked  to  me  that  though  I  gave 
no  outward  sign  I  was  ridiculously  proud  of  these 
manifestations ;  and  so  I  was.  I  had  been  away 
six  weeks,  and  a  huge  packet  of  correspondence 
awaited  my  arrival  ;  so  I  sat  down  under  my 
veranda  and  got  to  work  on  it,  and  now  my 
popularity  proved  burdensome ;  for  I  had  no  sooner 
begun  to  read  a  letter  than  a  visitor  was  an- 
nounced, often  only  women  or  children  who  came 
to  bring  me  small  presents  and  could  be  dismissed 
after  a  few  words ;  but  sometimes  my  task  was 
less  easy.  I  was  reading  a  particularly  interesting 
communication,  when  I  heard  a  warning  cough,  and, 
looking  up,  saw  a  young  lady  of  fourteen  before 
me  with  a  fowl  in  her  hand. 

"Oh,"  said  I,  "is  it  you,  Lomano?  I  am  very 
glad  to  see  you ;  how  do  you  do  ? " 

"  I  have  brought  you  a  fowl,"  she  said. 

"  Thank  you  so  much  ;  can  I  do  anything  for 
you  5 

"No,  thank  you,"  she  said,  but  remained  glued 
to  the  spot.  Politeness  obliged  me  to  continue  the 
conversation,  and  I  asked  after  the  news  of  the 

263 


THE  OLD  STORY 


village.  She  said  there  was  none  save  that  Gwang- 
wan  of  the  village  of  Kingulu  had  come  to  see  her 
father. 

"  Well,  what  did  he  want  ? "  said  I. 
"  To  marry  me." 

"  Oh,  that's  very  nice,"  I  said.  "  Gwangwan  is  a 
very  nice  and  very  good-looking  chap." 

"Yes,"  she  said,  "but  I  think  that  Muri  Simuna 
is  better  looking." 

"  Oh,  that's  what  you  are  driving  at,"  I  said. 
"  You  prefer  to  marry  Muri  Simuna,  do  you  ? " 

"  Oh  yes,  and  we  arranged  long  ago  to  get 
married." 

"  Then  why  don't  you  get  married  ?  "  I  asked, 
"  Oh,  because  he  hasn't  got  any  money  to  pay 
for  me." 

This  was  a  specimen  of  conversations  which  got 
more  and  more  frequent  after  I  had  unwisely  inter- 
vened and  supplied  the  funds  necessary  to  enable 
the  couple  to  be  happily  united.  I  became  the 
fairy  godmother  of  all  lovers  who  found  themselves 
in  difficulties. 

Not  infrequent,  too,  were  the  visits  of  fathers 
who  came  to  complain  that  their  daughters  refused 
to  marry  the  chosen  husband.  As  I  knew  that  it 
was  useless  in  Africa,  as  in  all  other  coimtries,  to 
reason  with  people  who  are  in  love,  I  thought  it 
simpler  to  argue  with  the  old  man  and  get  him  to 
allow  the  preferred  suitor  to  receive  the  hand  of 
the  girl. 

Love  affairs  are  carried  on  as  a  rule  in  the 

264 


THE  OLD  STORY 

greatest  (apparent)  secrecy,  but  everyone  knows 
what  is  going  on.  Even  if  you  go  into  a  strange 
village  where  not  a  soul  has  ever  seen  you  before, 
it  is  not  difficult  to  pick  out  the  girls  who  have  a 
love  affair  on  hand;  they  are  oiled  and  painted  and 
carry  all  the  family  jewellery  round  their  necks ; 
red  beads  have  been  imported  in  great  quantities, 
and  girls,  to  make  themselves  beautiful,  wear  several 
pounds  weight  round  their  necks.  Not  only  so,  but 
the  love-sick  maidens  are  unmercifully  teased  by  their 
fellows ;  you  see  a  knot  of  girls  standing  talking, 
and  all  of  a  sudden  they  begin  to  laugh,  the  loved 
one  excepted,  and  all  run  oif. 

As  for  the  men,  of  course  the  Bambala  are  not 
the  only  people  who  are  ready  to  do  rash  things  when 
they  are  in  love.  It  sometimes  happened  that  a  man 
came  to  ask  me  how  long  he  would  have  to  work  in 
order  to  earn  a  certain  amount  of  money,  i.e.  about 
£5.  When  I  said  it  would  take  a  good  long  time, 
and  inquired  what  he  wanted  to  do  with  all  that 
money,  he  said  it  was  the  bride  price.  If  I  advanced 
the  money,  as  I  sometimes  did,  the  debt  was  always 
worked  ofi.  It  not  infrequently  happens  that  a 
man,  in  order  to  secure  his  bride  as  soon  as  possible, 
will  give  himself  as  a  pledge  for  the  money  advanced 
to  a  wealthy  man,  and  thus  practically  put  himself 
in  the  position  of  a  slave — a  great  proof  of  devotion 
and  self-sacrifice. 

As  a  rule  the  husband  of  an  adulterous  woman 
repudiates  her,  and  men  have  come  to  me  and  sworn 
to  kill  the  erring  wife  as  soon  as  she  returned  ;  and 

265 


FLATTERING  ATTENTIONS 

then  when  she  came  back,  instead  of  carrying  out 
their  threats,  they  have  just  gone  up  to  her,  taken 
her  by  the  hand,  begged  her  not  to  ojBFend  again,  and 
taken  her  to  their  bosoms ;  and  this  they  have  done 
not  only  once,  but  many  times. 

The  Bambala  are  exceedingly  fond  of  their  children  ; 
to  do  me  honour  they  called  a  large  proportion  of  the 
boys  born  while  I  was  there  by  my  native  name.  I 
sincerely  trust  that  no  ethnologist  or  traveller  wiU 
find  it  necessary  to  speak  of  a  tribe  designated  by  the 
name  of  the  Badeke, 

I  received  daily  visits  from  proud  mothers  who 
came  to  tell  me  that  the  first  tooth  was  through, 
which  I  was  obliged  to  verify  by  manual  examination, 
or  that  the  first  word  had  been  spoken,  which  was 
repeated  sometimes  for  my  edification  by  the  child ; 
boys  brought  me  the  first  rat  which  they  had  killed  ; 
little  girls  frequently  came  to  tell  me  with  great 
pride  that  on  that  day  they  had  gone  for  the  first 
time  to  help  their  mothers  in  the  fields.  I  trust  my 
readers  will  not  be  shocked  when  I  mention  that  I 
got  engaged  to  more  than  a  dozen  of  them ;  but  if, 
when  I  return,  I  find  that  they  have  got  tired  of 
waiting  for  the  lover  who  wooed  and  rode  away,  I 
will  not  be  too  hard  on  them,  though  by  native 
law  I  alone  am  entitled  to  release  them  from  their 
engagement. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  I  received  a  phono- 
graph from  Europe.  I  advise  any  of  my  readers  who 
is  planning  a  trip  among  primitive  peoples  on  no 
account  to  omit  to  take  one  of  these  instruments. 

266 


A  SORROWFUL  PARTING 

As  a  rule,  when  work  was  at  an  end  in  the  evening, 
people  came  to  me  and  asked  whether  I  would  not 
give  them  a  tune  on  my  speaking  kissi ;  when  the 
music  began  they  were  turned  into  statues,  neither 
moving  nor  speaking,  thus  setting  a  good  example 
to  concert-goers  in  Europe ;  as  for  the  idea  of  going 
home  to  supper  at  the  ordinary  time,  it  never  entered 
their  heads ;  they  took  their  music  fasting.  Of 
course  I  was  often  called  upon  to  open  the  instrument, 
and  when  they  had  duly  ascertained  that  there  was 
no  human  being  within,  they  were  loud  in  their 
praises  of  Deke,  who  had  made  such  a  remarkable 
discovery.  I  trust  Mr.  Edison  will  excuse  my  ap- 
propriation of  his  laurels. 

I  made  several  short  journeys  from  Kikwit,  but 
they  had  none  of  them  any  striking  features  which 
merit  description.  In  the  early  part  of  1907  news 
reached  me  from  Europe  which  compelled  me  to 
hasten  my  return,  which  should  have  taken  place  a 
year  later.  The  tidings  spread  rapidly,  though  they 
were  at  first  not  credited,  but  when  I  told  them  that 
it  was  perfectly  true  that  I  was  going,  deputation 
after  deputation  came  from  the  native  villages  to  beg 
me  to  prolong  my  stay.  The  chiefs  remonstrated 
with  me  and  asked  how  they  had  displeased  me,  and 
whether  they  had  not  always  shown  themselves 
friendly  and  loyal,  as  indeed  they  had.  But  I  ex- 
plained to  them  that  my  presence  was  absolutely 
necessary  in  my  own  village,  but  I  was  naturally 
highly  gratified  to  see  how  much  they  regretted  my 
departure. 

267 


"GOOD-BYE,  BAMBALA" 

On  the  day  on  which  I  was  to  leave,  the  steamer 
Marie  was  lying  at  the  quay,  and  about  five  in  the 
morning  I  heard  a  considerable  stir ;  it  was  the 
people  of  the  surrounding  villages  who  had  come  to 
see  me  off.  When  my  luggage  was  put  on  board 
everyone  fought  for  the  privilege  of  rendering  me 
this  last  service.  Then  the  leave-taking  took  place ; 
I  had  to  shake  hundreds  of  black  hands,  pat  children 
on  the  head,  and  give  a  solemn  promise  to  return  as 
soon  as  possible. 

I  went  on  board  and  looked  from  the  bridge  down 
upon  the  huge  crowd,  among  whom  were  none  who 
were  not  my  friends.  A  curious  mixture  of  feelings 
came  over  me.  I  was  very  unhappy  at  the  thought 
of  leaving  Kikwit,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  I  could  not 
but  feel  proud  to  see  the  regret  at  my  departure. 
While  preparations  were  being  made  for  pushing  off 
a  man  cried  out,  "  Let  us  sing  Deke's  favourite  song," 
and  the  whole  assembly  broke  out  into  voice ;  the 
steamer  whistled  thrice,  the  captain  rang  the  engine- 
room  telegraph,  and  off  we  went.  And  there  stood 
my  dear  old  black  friends,  waving  their  hands,  cloth, 
branches,  anything  that  came  to  hand,  and  shouting, 
"  Deke  moyo,  Kusimbana  betu  lo !  "  ("  Good-bye,  Deke, 
don't  forget  us").  "  Bambala,  moyo!"  ("Good-bye, 
Bambala  "). 


268 


CHAPTER  XVII 


Folklore  and  its  importance — How  the  first  people  got  married — The  origin 
of  light — Why  the  gorilla  does  not  speak — Why  the  dead  are  buried 
— How  disease  and  death  came  to  man. 

HAVING  told  what  I  had  to  say  about  the 
natives,  I  shall  now  give  them  a  chance  of 
speaking  for  themselves.  I  regret  not  to  be  able 
to  give  an  exact  account  of  what  they  think  of 
the  white  man ;  let  the  reader  be  however  assured 
that  they  do  not  consider  him  quite  so  great  or  so 
superior  a  being  as  the  casual  traveller  may  be  led 
to  believe  when  he  is  the  subject  of  occasional 
flatteries.  I  doubt  not,  the  negroes  admit  that 
certain  white  men  possess  qualities  of  which  he 
is  deficient,  and  as  long  as  he  is  not  undeceived 
he  believes  that  the  European  is  more  prone  to 
tell  the  truth  than  the  African  ;  on  the  other 
hand,  he  is  perfectly  aware  that  there  are  qualities 
which  are  better  developed  in  himself  than  in  the 
"  pale  stranger." 

To  judge  of  the  moral  ideas  of  primitive  peoples 
there  is  no  better  means  than  to  study  their  stories. 
As  we  like  our  hero  to  marry  the  princess,  or  as 

269 


FOLKLORE  AND  ITS  IMPORTANCE 


W6  rejoice  in  seeing  Tom  Thumb  kill  the  giant,  thus 
showing  that  we  desire  that  valour  should  be  recom- 
pensed and  that  brains  should  conquer  brute  force, 
so  the  negro  puts  into  his  stories  a  hero  who  cor- 
responds to  his  ideal  and  lets  him  have  a  career  he 
desires  for  himself. 

It  is  this  idea  that  induces  me  to  finish  this  book 
with  some  of  the  stories  old  Congo  people  tell  to  the 
young  folk  so  as  to  impress  them  with  what  is  right 
and  what  is  wrong. 

As  far  as  possible  I  shall  give  an  exact  account 
of  tales  I  overheard  when  I  was  a  concealed  wit- 
ness of  their  talk  round  the  camp  fire.  The  trans- 
lation is  by  no  means  word  for  word,  for  this  would 
be  incomprehensible  to  the  European ;  it  is  more 
strictly  speaking  a  translation,  sentence  for  sentence. 
I  have  tried  to  give  the  exact  meaning  of  the  stories, 
suppressing  only  such  passages  as  might  give  ofience 
to  Mrs.  Grundy.  It  is  with  a  view  to  these  respect- 
able ladies'  opinions  that  the  selection  has  to  be 
a  short  one,  for  my  black  friends  like  to  call  a 
spade  a  spade,  and  consequently  many  of  the  stories 
can  only  find  place  in  books  of  a  strictly  scientific 
character. 


270 


THE  FIKST  MARRIAGE 


HOW  THE  FIRST  PEOPLE  GOT  MARRIED 
(batetela  story) 

When  Winya,  the  Sun-God,  had  created  the  world, 
he  made  men  and  women ;  the  men  he  put  into  one 
village,  the  women  into  another.  And  neither 
village  had  any  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  the 
other. 

The  men  were  hunters.  Each  man  went  out  in 
the  morning  in  pursuit  of  game  ;  if  he  was  successful, 
he  had  dinner ;  if  not,  he  had  none.  And  on  days 
of  ill  luck  a  man  would  complain.  "If  only  I  had 
some  one  to  help  me  to  hunt,  I  would  never  have 
to  go  to  bed  with  an  empty  stomach."  At  that 
time  the  dog  was  a  wild  animal  and  lived  in 
the  bush  with  the  jackal,  his  brother.  One  day 
they  had  experienced  very  bad  luck  in  hunting, 
having  caught  nothing  though  they  had  worked 
hard  all  day.  At  last  night  fell,  and,  as  they  had 
eaten  no  food,  they  were  soon  shivering  with  the 
cold. 

"Bulu"  (jackal),  said  the  dog. 
"  Yes,"  answered  the  jackal. 
"  Man  has  a  village  near  this  place  ? " 
"  True,"  replied  the  jackal, 

271 


THE  FIRST  MARRIAGE 

"  There  is  a  big  fire  burning  in  his  hut  ? " 
"  Yes." 

"  Fire  is  nice  and  warm." 
"Yes." 

"  There  may  be  some  nice  bones  lying  near  the 
fire." 

"  Yes." 

"  Why  don't  you  go  and  fetch  the  fire  and  the 
bones  ? " 

"  Not  I,"  said  the  jackal.  "  He  who  giveth  good 
advice  ought  to  be  the  first  to  follow  it;  go,  fetch 
them  yourself." 

"  I  am  afraid,"  said  the  dog,  and  lay  down  and 
tried  to  sleep.  But  the  cold  increased,  and  their  teeth 
began  to  chatter.  Now  the  dog  had  less  fur  than 
the  jackal,  and  consequently  he  felt  the  cold  more 
keenly ;  at  last  he  exclaimed : 

"  I  will  go  and  fetch  the  fire ;  you  stay  here,  and, 
if  I  should  stay  too  long,  you  call  for  me." 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  jackal,  and  the  dog  trotted 

off. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  village  the  fowls  raised 
an  outcry,  and  the  man  came  out  of  his  house  ;  seeing 
the  dog  he  took  his  spear,  and  was  about  to  kill  him, 
but  the  dog  cried  : 

"  Do  not  kill  me,  I  am  a  poor  starving  beast,  half 
dead  with  cold  ;  let  me  warm  myself  by  the  fire,  and 
then  I  will  go  back  to  the  bush." 

"  Be  it  so,"  said  the  man.  "  Warm  yourself, 
but  when  you  are  warm,  tutsh,  you  go  back  to  your 
bush." 

272 


Weaver-Birds 


In  many  villages  of  the  Kwilu  the  palm  trees  are  simply  covered  with  nests  of  a  species  of  black 
weaver-bird  ;  the  fledglings  are  at  regular  intervals  removed  by  the  natives  ;  cooked  in  oil  (without  the 
intestines  being  removed)  they  are  considered  a  great  delicacy.  It  is  the  "  Japodya  "  referred  to  in, 
the  story,  '*  The  origin  of  light." 


THE  FIRST  MARRIAGE 


The  dog  crawled  into  the  hut,  lay  down  by  the 
blazing  fire,  and  began  to  gnaw  a  bone  which  the  man 
had  thrown  away.    Soon  the  man  asked  : 

"  Have  you  done  ?  " 

"  Not  yet,"  said  the  dog,  and  continued  to 
gnaw. 

Some  time  passed,  and  again  the  man  asked  : 
"  Have  you  done  ?  " 

"  Not  yet,"  again  murmured  the  dog,  and  seized 
another  bone. 

And  the  fire  was  warm,  and  the  bone  was  very 
sweet ;  the  dog  felt  happier  than  he  had  ever  felt 
before,  and  the  idea  of  going  out  into  the  cold  bush 
made  him  shiver.  So  when  the  man  asked  a  third 
time,  "  Have  you  done  ?  "  he  replied  : 

"Yes,  but  I  wish  you  would  allow  me  to  remain 
with  you ;  I  will  be  useful  to  you,  instead  of  robbing 
the  roost  like  my  brother  the  jackal ;  I  will  help  you 
to  hunt  the  bush-fowl ;  I  will  show  you  the  tracks  of 
the  wild  game  ;  all  I  ask  in  return  is  a  place  by  your 
fire  and  the  remains  of  your  meal." 

"So  be  it,"  said  the  man,  and  the  dog  had  re- 
mained in  the  village  to  this  day. 

When  at  night  you  hear  a  howl  near  the 
village — "Bo-ah,  Bo-ah" — you  may  be  sure  that  it 
is  the  jackal  calling  his  lost  brother,  the  dog,  to 
return. 

Thus  the  man  had  some  one  to  help  him  in 
hunting,  but  still  the  chase  was  his  only  means  of 
livelihood. 

Now  for  the  women's  village.    The  women  would 

273  s 


THE  FIRST  MARRIAGE 

go  out  every  morning  to  gather  corn,  roots,  and  vege- 
tables ;  for  all  the  domesticated  plants  then  grew 
wild.  If  a  woman  found  some,  she  had  dinner ;  if 
not,  she  had  to  go  without. 

It  happened  one  day  that  a  woman,  having  ven- 
tured further  afield  than  was  her  custom  in  her  search 
for  food,  suddenly  met  a  man,  who  also  had  gone 
further  in  his  hunting  expedition  than  he  had  ever 
been  before. 

Both  were  utterly  astonished  : 

"  What  is  this  ?  "  the  woman  exclaimed. 

"You  are  a  funny  animal,"  said  the  man;  "you 
speak  just  like  a  man." 

"  I  am  not  an  animal,"  said  the  woman  ;  "  I  am  a 
woman." 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  here  ?  "  asked  he. 
"  Gathering  food." 

"  You  don't  seem  to  have  found  much  of  it,"  he 
sneered. 

"Not  much!  And  what  is  this?"  replied  the 
woman,  showing  proudly  a  bunch  of  millet. 

"Surely  that  is  not  food!  Why,  woman,  this 
is  food,"  said  he,  showing  an  antelope  he  had  just 
killed. 

"  You  don't  say  you  eat  that  ?  "  said  the  astonished 
woman. 

"  But  what  else  could  I  eat  ?  " 

"  Well,  this."  The  woman  thrust  the  bunch  of 
millet  in  his  face. 

"I  am  not  an  antelope  to  eat  grass!"  the  man 
said. 

274 


THE  FIRST  MARRIAGE 

*'  You  are  not  a  leopard  to  eat  flesh,"  the  woman 
retorted. 

"  But  flesh  is  food  !  " 
"  No,  millet  is  food  !  " 

And  thus  they  quarrelled.  The  woman,  of  course, 
lost  her  temper,  and,  finally,  she  wept  with  anger. 
So  the  man  said  : 

"  There  is  no  use  in  quarrelling  like  this ;  give  me 
some  of  your  food  and  I  will  try  how  it  tastes ;  then 
I  will  give  you  some  of  my  food,  and  you  shall  try 
that ;  then  we  will  see  who  is  right." 

So  they  sat  down  and  separately  cooked  their  re- 
spective foods.  When  they  tried  each  other's  food 
they  found  that  bread  and  meat  made  a  splendid  mix- 
ture, and  then  and  there  they  decided  to  live  together 
for  the  future. 

Time  passed.  A  little  bird  called  Gininde  soon 
taught  the  woman  how  to  plant  millet  instead  of 
simply  relying  on  the  chance  of  finding  it.  One  day 
a  baby  was  born.  How  proud  the  mother  was  !  She 
had  never  visited  the  women's  village  since  she  had 
thrown  in  her  lot  with  her  husband ;  but  now  she 
rushed  ofi"  to  show  all  her  friends  the  beautiful  baby. 
And  then  all  women  wanted  to  have  babies  too ;  so, 
with  the  help  of  her  husband,  the  news  was  carried 
to  the  men's  village,  and  each  man  came  and  took  a 
woman  as  his  wife. 

Since,  then,  people  have  taken  to  marrying  and 
having  babies,  just  as  they  do  up  to  this  day. 

And  when  Winya,  the  Sun-God,  saw  how  the 
people  multiplied,  he  thought :  "  These  people  are 

275 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  LIGHT 


getting  so  great  in  number  that  they  will  be  tempted 
one  day  to  overpower  me  and  bind  me,  then  they 
might  make  me  do  whatever  they  like." 

So  he  left  earth  and  went  up  to  heaven ;  and  he 
makes  nice  people  die,  so  that  their  souls  may  come 
to  him  and  keep  him  company. 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  LIGHT 

Once  upon  a  time  a  King  of  the  Bushongo  country 
named  Woto,  having  been  insulted  by  the  sons  of 
his  brother,  Moelo,  left  the  country  in  anger,  cursing 
those  he  left  behind  him. 

When  he  left  Moelo's  village  there  was  no  sun ; 
it  did  not  exist.    Moelo  was  much  troubled  by  the 
darkness  ;  he  complained  that  if  he  took  a  wife,  he 
could  not  see  whether  she  was  pretty  or  not;  if  he 
plucked  fruit,  he   could  not  see  whether  it  were 
ripe  or  unripe ;  if  a  man  approached  him,  he  could 
not  tell  whether  he  were  friend  or  foe.    So  he  called 
three  of  his  men,  and  spoke  to  them  as  follows : 
"  Why  did  I  allow  Woto  to  leave  this  village  ?  He 
is  so  clever  that  he  would  have  surely  found  some 
remedy  for  this  darkness.    Go  forth  and  find  him ; 
ask  him  to  forget  the  wrongs  my  son  has  done 
him,  and  to  give  us  some  means  whereby  we  may 
see.    But  in  order  that  your  mission  may  be  success- 
ful it  is  imperative  that  you   should  not  quarrel 
by  the  way,  nor  pause  on  your  journey  to  fish. 

276 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  LIGHT 

Take  care,  therefore,  that  you  do  not  fall  out  nor 
loiter  to  fish  in  the  streams."    So  the  three  men 
named  Kalonda,  Buimbi,  and  Binga  set  out  in  quest 
of  Woto.     They  went  on  and  on  until  they  came 
to  a  big  river,  and  there  Binga  said,  "  Let  us  rest 
awhile  and  fish."     "Nay,"  said  the  others,  "do  you 
not  remember  Moelo's  words?"     But  Binga  would 
not  listen  to  them ;  he  called  them  evil  names,  and, 
despite  their  protests,  began  to  fish.    So  Kalonda 
and  Buimbi  saw  that  it  was  useless  to  continue 
their  journey,  and  returned  to  Moelo.    When  they 
arrived  Moelo  asked  them,  "  Have  you  brought  the 
light  ? "    "  No,"  they  replied  ;  "  Binga  has  disobeyed 
your  orders ;  he  has  quarrelled  with  us,  and  he  has 
stopped  by  the  way  to  fish ;  so  it  was  useless  for 
us  to  continue,  and  we  returned."    Moelo  therefore 
beat  Binga,  and  said,  "  You  shall  go  no  more  with 
the  others ; "  then,  turning  to  Kalonda  and  Buimbi, 
he  said,  "  Go  forth  once  more  in  search  of  Woto, 
and  instead  of  Binga  take  my  dog  with  you."  So 
they  took  the  road  again,  this  time  with  Moelo's 
dog.    When  they  reached  the  river  they  built  a 
boat  and  commenced  to  float  down  the  stream,  until 
they  reached  a  place  where  the  river  was  bordered 
by  high  rocks.    "  What  shall  we  do  ? "  they  said  ; 
"these  high  rocks  prevent  us   from  landing  any- 
where."    Kalonda  suggested,  "  Let  the  dog  search  ; 
where  the  wisdom  of  man  ends,  there  the  wisdom 
of  the  animal  begins."    And  surely  enough  the  dog 
found  a  very  narrow  path  among  the  rocks,  along 
which  the  men  followed  him.    So  they  came  to  the 

277 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  LIGHT 

abode  of  Woto.  "  What  would  you,"  said  Woto, 
"  you  men  of  Moelo  ?  You  have  driven  me  from 
my  home ;  can  you  not  leave  me  in  peace  in  my 
new  refuge,  where  I  came  to  hide  my  shame  ? "  They 
replied,  ' '  Your  brother  Moelo  is  very  unhappy.  He 
complains  that  when  he  takes  a  new  wife  the  dark- 
ness prevents  him  from  seeing  whether  she  is  pretty 
or  no  ;  when  he  plucks  fruit  he  cannot  see  whether 
it  is  ripe  or  unripe ;  if  a  man  approaches  him  he 
cannot  tell  whether  he  be  friend  or  foe.  He  begs 
you  to  remember  that  you  and  he  are  children  of 
the  same  mother,  and  to  help  him  in  his  misery." 
Woto  said,  "  Go  and  sleep."  The  next  day  he  called 
them  to  him  and  gave  them  three  birds,  a  Mokuku 
(Natal  cuckoo),  a  Koko  (a  fowl),  and  a  Japodya  (a 
small  black  bird  which  nests  in  great  numbers  in 
the  trees  near  villages).  "  Take  these  birds  to  my 
brother,"  he  said ;  "  when  you  reach  his  village  let 
them  loose,  and  go  to  sleep.  When  you  hear  the 
Mokuku  say  '  Kooo-Koo-Koo-Koo,'  do  not  move ; 
soon  you  will  hear  the  cock  call  '  Katariko,' — do 
not  move ;  but  when  you  hear  the  J apodya  cry 
'  Zwa,  Zwa,  Zwa,  Zwa,'  then  open  your  huts  and 
see ! "  So  they  took  the  birds  and  returned  to 
Moelo,  who  did  as  Woto  had  enjoined.  Next  morn- 
ing the  cuckoo  called  "  Kooo-Koo-Koo-Koo,"  and 
no  one  moved ;  slowly  the  night  gave  place  to  a 
greyish  dawn,  then  they  heard  the  cock  cry  "  Kata- 
riko "  ;  still  no  one  moved ;  the  sky  took  a  reddish 
hue,  and  here  and  there  things  became  dimly  visible ; 
then  the  Japodya  sang  "Zwa,  Zwa,  Zwa,  Zwa," 

278 


THE  GORILLA  DOES  NOT  SPEAK 


and  they  opened  their  hut  doors,  and  there  blazed 
the  beautiful  sunlight. 

If  a  man  quarrels  with  another  in  the  village, 
the  elders  summon  him  and  order  him  to  pay  a 
fine;  if  he  neglects  to  do  so  and  quarrels  with 
another,  they  summon  him  again,  and  say,  "  You 
quarrelled  with  So-and-so  —  you  have  killed  the 
Mokuku ;  now  you  have  quarrelled  with  another 
man  —  you  have  killed  the  fowl ;  take  heed  that 
you  quarrel  no  more,  for  we  will  not  have  the 
Japodya  killed,  and  so  live  in  darkness  on  your 
account ! " 


WHY  THE  GORILLA  DOES  NOT  SPEAK 

In  the  land  of  the  Sungu  there  is  a  river  called  the 
Luhefu ;  this  word  means  the  storm- wind,  and  the 
stream  well  deserves  its  name  ;  for,  instead  of  flowing 
quietly  between  its  banks,  as  any  respectable  river 
would,  it  forms  a  string  of  falls  and  cascades,  jumping 
from  rock  to  rock  like  a  giddy  goat ;  and  the  stream 
is  so  violent  that  no  boat  can  float  on  it.  It  runs 
through  an  impenetrable  forest  where  live  a  great 
number  of  Soko  Muntu  (gorillas),  that  is  to  say,  men 
of  the  woods.  They  are  huge  apes,  brave  and  strong 
and  just  like  men  ;  in  times  gone  by  they  were  often 
heard  to  speak,  and  I  am  going  to  tell  you  why  they 
no  longer  do  so. 

Years  ago,  but  not  too  far  back  for  old  people  to 

279 


THE  GORILLA  DOES  NOT  SPEAK 

remember  their  grandfathers  speaking  of  them,  there 
lived  a  couple  near  the  Luhefu,  a  man  named  Gika 
and  his  wife  Sudila.  They  had  no  children,  and  this 
filled  their  hearts  with  sorrow,  for  can  there  be 
greater  misfortune  for  married  people  than  to  be 
childless  ?  So  one  day  Gika  said  to  his  wife,  "  It  is 
now  many  years,  Sudila,  since  you  became  my  wife, 
and  a  kind,  good  wife  you  have  been  to  me.  But  our 
happiness  has  not  been  crowned  by  the  birth  either  of 
son  or  daughter.  Why  is  this?  God  alone  knows. 
We  are  getting  old,  and  when  weakness  and  poverty 
overtake  us  there  will  be  nobody  to  comfort  us  in  our 
old  age,  and  after  a  miserable  lonely  death  no  one  will 
shed  tears  over  our  neglected  graves."  Sudila  wept 
bitterly.  Touched  by  her  grief,  her  husband  said  : 
"But  there  is  a  remedy.  The  weekly  market  of 
Mokunji  will  be  held  to-morrow ;  let  us  go  there 
and  buy  a  slave  child  and  adopt  it  as  our  own.  So 
cry  no  more.  By  kindness  we  will  win  this  child's 
affection,  and  it  will  soon  respect  and  love  us  as  if 
we  were  its  real  parents." 

All  that  night  long  Sudila  dreamt  of  a  loving  child, 
and  a  sweet  dream  it  was.  The  next  morning  they 
started  on  their  errand — the  husband  with  his  shield 
and  spear,  the  woman  with  her  goods  to  sell  and  a 
number  of  copper  crosses  to  pay  for  the  child.  While 
walking  they  discussed  their  plans,  how  they  would 
buy  a  nice  strong  boy,  and  how  Gika  would  teach  him 
to  hunt  and  fish  and  fight,  so  that  he  might  grow  up 
a  warrior  bold.  And  Sudila  talked  about  the  nice 
dishes  she  would  cook  for  him  and  how  he  should 

280 


THE  GORILLA  DOES  NOT  SPEAK 


wear  clothes,  fine  and  clean  enough  for  any  chieftain's 
son. 

As  they  proceeded  and  approached  the  town 
Sudila  suddenly  stopped ;  "  Gika,"  she  said,  "what  is 
that  noise  I  hear  ? "  So  Gika  also  paused  and 
listened.  He  was  a  keen  hunter,  who,  when  on  the 
track  of  game,  could  hear  as  well  as  the  shyest  beast 
of  the  forest  the  cracking  of  a  branch,  the  rustling 
of  a  leaf  He  at  once  found  out  what  the  matter 
was.  "  It  is  a  child  crying  as  if  in  distress,"  he  said, 
and  turned  round  to  continue  his  way,  when  his  wife 
exclaimed,  "  A  child  in  distress  !  I  must  go  and  help." 
And  without  waiting  for  a  reply  she  threw  her  chat- 
tels on  the  ground  and  flew  off  in  the  direction  of  the 
sound.  And  there  she  saw  a  pitiable  sight.  An  ugly 
looking  woman  was  beating  a  child  aged  about  three 
with  a  big  stick,  whilst  her  laughing  husband  stood 
by.  Sudila  never  said  a  word,  but  just  flew  at  the 
nasty  hag,  and,  like  an  infuriated  cat,  began  scratch- 
ing her  face  and  tearing  her  hair.  She  would  have 
fared  ill,  for  the  strange  man  at  once  took  his  spear 
in  order  to  defend  his  wife,  had  not  Gika  arrived  on 
the  spot  and  held  him  at  bay.  The  two  men  then 
separated  the  women,  and  Sudila,  still  panting,  asked 
in  a  hoarse  voice  :  "  Why  did  you  .  .  .  why  did  you 
.  .  .  beat  this  babe  ?  "  "  Is  she  not  my  slave  ?  Can 
I  not  beat  her  whenever  I  like  ? "  was  the  answer. 
"  And  am  I  not  a  woman  to  stand  up  for  any  innocent 
child  ?  "  screamed  Sudila.  "  And  am  I  not  going  to 
tear  your  evil  eyes  out  of  your  ugly  old  head,  you 
wicked  old  witch  ?  "    And  Sudila  would  have  been  as 

281 


THE  GORILLA  DOES  NOT  SPEAK 


good  as  her  word  had  not  her  husband  interfered. 
He  turned  to  the  strange  man  and  said  :  "  Since 
when  has  it  been  the  custom  of  this  land  that  chil- 
dren, free  or  slaves,  should  be  ill-treated  ?  Have  we 
not  foes  enough  to  fight  ?  Are  there  no  man-eating 
leopards  to  kill  and  enemies  to  slay  that  you  should 
need  to  display  your  prowess  on  babies  lately  weaned  ? 
If  you  do  not  tell  me  why  you  beat  this  child,  verily 
I  will  pierce  you  with  my  spear,  you  and  that  ill- 
favoured  wife  of  yours,  as  true  as  my  name  is  Gika 
and  I  am  the  son  of  Saadi." 

Now  Gika  was  a  warrior  of  great  fame  and  a  big 
and  powerful  man,  so  the  stranger  was  frightened 
and  said :  "  My  wife  gave  her  load  to  this  slave  to 
carry,  and  the  girl  refused  to  do  so."  "  Shame  on 
you,"  said  good  Gika  indignantly  ;  "  this  child  is  so  tiny 
that  it  ought  to  be  carried,  and  not  carry  the  loads 
of  big  brutes  like  you  and  your  wife !  "  The  man 
replied  with  a  sneer :  "  But  is  she  not  my  slave  ? " 
A  sudden  thought  came  to  Gika.  "  I  will  buy  your 
slave,"  he  said  ;  "  what  do  you  ask  for  her  ? "  The 
stranger,  perceiving  his  eagerness,  said,  "  I  will  accept 
all  the  goods  your  wife  carries  as  a  favour  from  you, 
because  you  are  such  a  nice-spoken  gentleman."  This 
was  great  impudence,  for  this  was  more  than  twice 
the  fair  price,  but  Gika,  without  another  word,  paid 
the  man.  Then  he  asked  :  "  What  is  the  girl's  name  ?" 
'*  Oh,  we  never  troubled  to  give  her  one  ;  we  simply 
call  her  Furnbe  (slave)."  Then  Sudila,  with  a  grate- 
ful look  at  her  husband  which  amply  repaid  him  for 
his  kindness,  snatched  up  the  sobbing  child,  and, 

282 


THE  GORILLA  DOES  NOT  SPEAK 


hugging  and  kissing  her,  said  :  "  You  poor  little  mite, 
you  shall  have  a  mother  noiv  and  a  name  too.  In 
remembrance  of  your  time  of  misery  you  shall  be 
called  Tamakumina  (she  whom  nobody  loved),  but 
you  shall  be  beloved  by  me  as  if  you  were  a  real  child 
of  mine,  given  to  me  by  God."  And  she  wept  over 
the  baby  sweet  tears  of  motherhood,  and  felt  a  happier 
and  prouder  woman  than  she  had  ever  felt  before. 

Although  they  had  set  out  with  the  intention  of 
adopting  a  strong  boy,  they  did  not  regret  that  their 
kindness  of  heart  had  caused  them  to  buy  a  weakly 
girl  instead ;  and  they  were  soon  rewarded  for  their 
charity,  for  under  Sudila's  motherly  care  the  child 
prospered  and  became  the  finest,  brightest,  and  most 
loving  Uttle  lassie  in  the  country.  She  could  not 
have  loved  her  own  mother  more  than  she  loved 
Sudila,  and  wherever  this  good  lady  went  little 
Tamakumina  would  trot  gaily  behind  her.  Every 
evening  before  sunset  they  went  together  to  the 
Lubefu  River,  and  while  Sudila  washed  and  filled  her 
pots  with  water,  the  child  played  amongst  the  flowers 
on  the  bank.  It  happened  one  day  that  a  nasty 
scorpion  crawled  up  to  her ;  of  course  the  child 
screamed  with  horror.  A  gorilla,  who  had  watched 
the  mother  and  her  child  for  several  days,  at  once 
came  down  from  his  tree,  crushed  the  vermin,  and 
took  the  child  in  his  arms.  Little  Tamakumina,  see- 
ing the  animal's  eyes  beam  with  kindness,  knew  she 
had  nought  to  fear,  so  she  laughed  and  clapped  her 
hands  and  began  playing  with  the  gorilla's  whiskers. 
The  gorilla  was  so  pleased  that  he  did  not  see  Sudila, 

283 


THE  GORILLA  DOES  NOT  SPEAK 


who,  alarmed  by  the  child's  cry,  had  returned  in  haste 
from  the  water.  At  the  sight  of  the  gorilla  she  was 
frightened  and  gave  a  little  scream,  but  the  animal 
turned  round  and  said  :  "  I  intended  no  harm  to  your 
babe ;  it  has  been  frightened,  and  I  only  wanted  to 
soothe  it.  If  you  will  promise  me  not  to  tell  your 
husband,  I  will  come  every  day  and  look  after  your 
child  while  you  are  doing  your  work  at  the  river." 
Sudila  gladly  gave  the  promise,  and  so  it  happened 
that  the  gorilla  looked  after  the  child  every  day  and 
kept  it  out  of  harm's  way  while  the  mother  attended 
to  her  work. 

But  soon  the  secret  began  to  weigh  on  Sudila's 
mind  ;  she  was  too  good  a  woman  to  break  her  pledged 
word,  but  she  passed  many  a  restless  night,  and  once 
Gika  overheard  her  saying  in  her  sleep  :  "  What  would 
my  good  husband  say  if  he  knew  what  happens  when 
I  go  to  the  river  !  "  Gika  was  puzzled,  and  when  his 
wife  went  next  day  to  fetch  water  he  followed  her  at 
a  distance.  He  saw  her  put  the  little  girl  on  the 
ground,  and  noticed  that  the  child  looked  round  as 
if  expecting  some  one.  Then  there  was  a  cracking  in 
the  branches,  and  the  gorilla  appeared.  Gika,  think- 
ing the  child  was  in  danger,  whirled  the  spear  at  the 
animal  just  as  it  bent  down  to  pick  up  the  child. 
But  he  missed  his  aim,  and  the  spear  hit  Tamaku- 
mina,  piercing  her  little  heart.  The  gorilla  exclaimed  : 
"Man,  man,  what  have  you  done?  You  have  killed 
your  child  while  intending  to  hurt  me,  who  have  never 
done  you  any  harm.  I  do  not  hurt  men,  I  do  not  rob 
your  crops  ;  why  did  you  want  to  kill  me  ?    Am  I  not 

284 


WHY  THE  DEAD  ARE  BURIED 


a  man  ?  Am  I  not  a  fellow-creature  ?  Your  cruelty 
bears  its  own  punishment ;  there  is  your  child  lying 
dead  at  your  feet.  And  as  I  see  that  men  are  so 
unjust  and  cruel,  I  will  never  again  speak  in  their 
hearing."  And  with  a  distressing  howl  he  disappeared 
in  the  thicket. 

Poor  Gika  and  Sudila  could  not  bear  their  sorrow  ; 
they  soon  followed  their  beloved  Tamakumina  to  the 
grave. 

No  gorilla  has  ever  since  been  known  to  speak  in 
the  presence  of  man.  When  one  sees  a  child  alone 
he  will  pick  it  up,  admire  and  caress  it,  but  at  the 
approach  of  a  grown-up  he  disappears  in  haste. 


WHY  THE  DEAD  AKE  BURIED  ^ 

In  times  long  gone  by  people  did  not  bury  their 
dead ;  the  bodies  of  the  deceased  were  thrown  away 
into  the  bush  and  left  there  to  decay,  or  to  be  de- 
stroyed by  wild  beasts.  There  lived  then  a  chief 
called  Fumu  Bwambu,  who  had  an  only  son  whom 
he  cherished  more  than  any  of  his  riches.  The  son, 
Masolo  by  name,  was  not  only  beloved  by  his  father, 
but  he  was  the  pride  of  his  whole  tribe  ;  friendly  to 
the  young  people  of  his  own  age,  respectful  to  the 
aged,  and  helpful  to  the  weak.  He  was  the  idol  of 
his  tribesmen.  They  said  of  him  :  "  Masolo  is  as  good 
as  an  infant  in  its  mother's  arms."    And  who  can  be 

285 


WHY  THE  DEAD  ARE  BURIED 


better  than  the  infant  in  its  innocency  ?  He  was 
strong  and  active ;  a  famous  hunter  and  a  great 
warrior  in  the  battle-field.  The  enemies  of  his  tribe 
said  of  him :  "  Masolo  is  as  brave  as  the  mother- 
leopard  defending  her  cubs."  And  who  can  be 
more  terrible  than  the  she-leopard  when  her  fury  is 
roused  ? 

Fumu  Bwambu  was  the  chief  of  Misumba,  a  great 
town  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Lubudi  River,  about 
two  miles  distant  from  the  water.  One  day  the 
women  were  working  in  the  fields,  when  suddenly  a 
huge  elephant  swam  across  the  Lubudi  and  approached 
them.  Trampling  down  the  Indian  corn  he  showed 
signs  of  great  fury,  and  drove  the  deadly  frightened 
women  back  to  the  village.  Shrieking  and  yelling 
they  arrived  there,  and  urged  the  young  men  on  to 
scare  the  monster  away.  This  they  tried  to  do  by 
beating  gongs,  blowing  horns,  and  by  shouting  till 
they  were  hoarse ;  all  this  did  not  avail,  however,  but 
only  made  the  elephant  fiercer,  and  he  rushed  about 
destroying  the  entire  crop. 

Masolo,  meanwhile,  armed  only  with  his  spear, 
had  been  out  hunting.  When  he  heard  the  noise  in 
the  town  he  thought  it  had  been  attacked  by  some 
enemy,  and  hastened  home  to  the  rescue.  When 
they  saw  him  the  women  exclaimed  :  "We  are  saved, 
we  are  saved !  Here  is  our  hero,  here  is  Masolo ! " 
Masolo  at  once  rushed  down  to  the  fields,  forgetting 
in  his  haste  to  take  a  second  spear  with  him.  When 
the  elephant  saw  him  he  gave  a  horrible  yell,  and 
then  charged  him.    Steadying  himself  Masolo  waited 

286 


WHY  THE  DEAD  ARE  BURIED 

till  the  elephant  was  only  a  few  paces  distant ;  and 
then,  with  tremendous  power,  hurled  the  spear  at 
him.  His  aim  was  true,  and  the  spear  entered  the 
monster's  body  up  to  the  shaft.  But  the  wound  was 
not  mortal,  and  only  made  the  elephant  mad  with 
pain.  His  trunk  in  the  air,  his  ears  wide  apart  from 
his  body,  and  shrieking  with  rage,  he  charged  Masolo. 
Having  no  arms  left,  the  hunter  tried  to  escape ;  but 
he  slipped  in  the  wet  grass,  and  the  next  moment 
his  enemy  was  on  him.  He  gored  him  with  his 
tusks,  and  then,  taking  him  up  in  his  trunk,  carried 
him  across  the  Lubudi  and  disappeared.  The  other 
warriors,  paralysed  with  terror,  dared  do  nothing  to 
rescue  him. 

The  next  day  some  men  from  the  other  bank  of 
the  Lubudi  brought  back  Masolo's  body ;  after  having 
trampled  on  him,  the  elephant  had  left  it  near  the 
road,  and  there  they  had  found  it.  The  whole  country 
bewailed  him,  and  it  was  a  pitiful  sight  to  see  Fumu 
Bwambu  in  his  grief.  The  despairing  father  walked 
to  and  fro,  speechless,  tearless,  his  eyes  fixed  on  the 
ground.  As  he  walked  his  notice  was  attracted  by 
a  Dondonji  burying  its  prey.  (The  Dondonji  is  the 
Bemhex  rostrata  of  this  country.)  "What,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  here  is  a  small  foolish  insect  which  thinks 
that  it  is  its  duty  to  hide  carefully  what  is  dead ;  yet 
we  men,  who  are  so  much  wiser  and  greater,  cast 
away  the  bodies  of  those  whom  we  love  like  so  much 
dirt !  This  shall  be  no  longer ;  we  will  follow  the 
example  of  the  wise  Dondonji,  and  bury  the  remains 
of  our  deceased  relations,  and  my  son  shall  be  the 

287 


DISEASE  AND  DEATH 

first  to  receive  fitting  treatment  at  the  hands  of  those 
who  loved  him." 

And  so  it  was  done.  Masolo  was  buried  with 
great  ceremony,  amid  the  lamentations  of  the  whole 
tribe,  and  since  that  day  all  men  bury  their  dead. 


HOW  DISEASE  AND  DEATH  CAME 
TO  MAN 

There  was  a  time  when  death  was  unknown,  even 
disease  had  not  made  its  appearance ;  people  always 
felt  well,  and  lived  on  for  ever. 

Now  it  happened  that  a  child  was  born  who  had 
a  deformed  tongue.  The  old  and  wise  people  of  the 
tribe  consulted  together  about  this  child,  and  one  of 
them  said  :  "  Why  is  the  tongue  of  this  child  difierent 
from  that  of  other  people ;  this  certainly  bodes  no 
good  for  its  future.  Let  us  expose  it  so  that  some 
wild  beast  may  devour  it,  and  thus  save  us  from  the 
evil  that  this  child  will  bring  on  us."  The  mother 
of  the  child  protested:  "I  will  not  let  my  child  be 
exposed,"  she  said ;  "is  not  my  child  as  good  as 
the  child  of  any  other  woman  ? "  But  the  mother's 
entreaties  did  not  soften  the  old  men's  hearts ;  the 
only  thing  they  would  promise  was  that,  if  the  child 
survived  ten  days'  exposure,  the  mother  would  be 
permitted  to  bring  it  back  to  the  village. 

So  they  took  the  child,  whose  name  was  Mitete, 
and  carried  it  to  a  distant  part  of  the  forest.  They 

288 


DISEASE  AJSfD  DEATH 

deposited  it  near  a  brook  where  the  leopards  were 
wont  to  come  to  drink ;  but  when  they  returned  to 
the  place  ten  days  later  they  found  the  little  boy 
well  and  hearty,  and  he  seemed  none  the  worse  for 
having  been  there  alone  and  unfed,  for  the  leopards 
had  run  away  at  the  sight  of  him. 

They  brought  him  back  to  the  village,  and  said : 
"  We  have  promised  the  mother  of  this  child  not  to 
expose  it  again ;  but  as  we  cannot  allow  the  whole 
tribe  to  suffer  to  please  a  single  woman,  let  us  consult 
about  means  of  getting  rid  of  this  child  of  evil  omen." 

After  much  discussion,  it  was  decided  that  the  child 
should  be  buried  alive.  They  satisfied  the  mother 
by  promising  her  that  should  the  child  be  still  alive 
after  twenty  days  they  would  give  her  permission  to 
bring  it  back  again.  So  they  dug  a  deep,  deep  hole, 
put  the  child  into  it,  and  then  covered  it  up  with 
earth.  But  when  after  twenty  days  they  unearthed 
it,  hoping  to  find  it  dead,  they  found  it  alive  and 
happy,  showing  its  deformed  tongue  to  the  horrified 
elders. 

The  elders  thought,  after  this,  that  it  was  all 
the  more  necessary  to  destroy  Mitete,  and,  as  a  last 
means,  they  tried  to  drown  him.  They  promised  the 
mother,  however,  that  should  they  fail  this  time  they 
would  give  up  any  further  attempts.  So  they  took  a 
big  stone,  bound  it  round  the  child's  neck,  and  threw 
him  into  the  river  where  it  was  deepest.  A  few  days 
later  a  fisherman  found  the  child  alive  in  his  net,  and 
after  this  the  elders  gave  up  all  hope  of  getting  rid  of 
him. 

289  T 


DISEASE  AND  DEATH 

Mitete  grew  up  and  became  very  clever ;  but,  as 
the  wise  old  men  had  foreseen,  he  also  became  very- 
malicious.  He  knew  all  the  hidden  powers  that  are 
in  the  herbs,  and  magic  had  no  secrets  from  him.  As 
he  wanted  to  use  this  knowledge  to  his  advantage 
so  as  to  increase  his  influence  in  the  council  and  his 
riches,  he  invented  disease  and  death — disease  so  as 
to  'oblige  people  to  come  to  him  for  remedies,  and 
death  so  that  the  fear  of  it  might  make  people  all 
the  more  willing  to  pay  him  whatever  he  demanded. 
And  he  would  go  by  night  to  the  forest  and  there 
associate  with  ghosts  called  Luphu,  who  are  souls  that 
have  no  abode,  and  through  their  agency  he  would 
spread  epidemics  and  all  sorts  of  other  evils. 

Soon  the  whole  tribe  was  terrorised,  and  the 
king  and  his  subjects  determined  to  flee  the  country, 
abandoning  the  evil  Mitete.  Very  early  one  morning, 
when  Mitete  was  still  asleep,  they  set  out  secretly  and 
hurried  ofl"  in  the  direction  of  the  South. 

But  Mitete  discovered  the  trick,  and  soon  over- 
took them.  Then  he  said  :  "  You  are  men,  and  I  am 
a  man,  why  do  you  wish  to  abandon  me  ?  When  I 
was  a  helpless  child  you  did  all  you  could  to  destroy 
me  and  you  failed ;  now  I  am  a  man,  and  can  hold 
my  own  against  all  of  you  ;  do  you  think  you  will  be 
more  successful  ? " 

They  replied :  "  You  have  brought  disease  and 
death  to  us  ;  you,  you  evil-tongued  one,  we  will  not 
allow  you  to  follow  us."  And  then  they  all  as  one 
man  went  for  him ;  they  hit  him  with  sticks ;  they 
struck   him  with   knives ;  they  stabbed  him  with 

290 


DISEASE  AND  DEATH 

spears ;  but  all  this  was  of  no  avail,  for  so  strong  was 
his  magic  that  they  were  powerless  to  hurt  him. 

Thus  it  was  that  disease  and  death  came  to  them 
in  their  new  home,  and  ever  since  wise  parents  will 
destroy  any  child  that  is  born  with  a  deformity. 


291 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


How  the  making  of  fire  was  invented — What  the  dog  has  discovered — 
Fleecing  the  rich — The  story  of  the  first  suicide — A  story  relating  how 
people  learned  to  drink  from  brooks  and  rivers — The  squirrel's  clearing 
— Bringing  home  the  pipe  of  peace — The  chief's  revenge. 

HOW  THE  MAKING  OF  FIRE  WAS  INVENTED 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  great  king. 
This  king  held  sway  over  many  peoples — the 
Beans-people,  the  Bell-people,  the  people  called  the 
Bepairers,  the  Mole-people,  the  people  called  the 
Planters,  and  many  others  which  would  take  too 
much  of  my  time  to  name.  This  king's  name  was 
Muchu  Mushanga. 

When  a  great  king  such  as  he  has  expressed  a 
wish  it  was,  of  course,  at  once  gratified.  It  was 
quite  enough  for  him  to  say  :  "I  should  be  pleased 
to  have  a  chicken  for  my  breakfast,"  or  "It  would 
give  me  pleasure  to  possess  a  beautiful  ivory  horn 
with  men,  and  beast,  and  plants,  and  all  sorts  of 
things  carved  on  it,"  and  everybody  would  run  at 
once  to  fetch  what  the  king  wanted. 

One  day  the  king  was  sitting  with  his  councillors 
in  solemn  Court  of  Justice  trying  a  villain  who  had 
stolen  his  neighbour's  dog,  when  in  rushed  his  queen, 
and,  throwing  herself  at  his  feet,  exclaimed :  "  My 
royal  master  and  husband,  I  cannot  cook  thy  royal 
dinner,  for  I  do  not  possess  any  fire  !    If  thou  wouldst 

292 


THE  MAKING  OF  FIRE 

not  go  to  bed  with  an  empty  stomach  order  thy 
subjects  to  give  me  some." 

Now,  if  the  king  had  a  weakness  it  was  that  he 
was  rather  fond  of  his  food ;  so,  inflicting  hurriedly 
severe  penalties  on  both  the  accused  and  the  accuser 
(thus  making  sure  that  the  guilty  party  did  not 
escape),  he  dismissed  the  council,  and,  calling  the 
town-crier,  he  ordered  him  to  signify  to  the  in- 
habitants of  the  royal  capital  that  the  king  desired 
to  be  supplied  with  some  fire  at  once. 

The  town-crier  soon  came  back.  With  trembling 
lips  he  told  the  king  how  he  had  failed  on  his  errand. 
There  had  been  a  dance  in  the  town  the  day  before ; 
all  the  women  had  been  present,  and,  while  enjoying 
themselves,  had  neglected  their  domestic  duties,  so 
that  all  the  fires  had  gone  out.  "  And  now  we  can't 
have  any  fire  till  there  is  a  thunderstorm  ;  if  we  are 
lucky,  the  lightning  may  fall  on  a  tree,  and  may 
light  it,  and  then,  0  king,  we  will  provide  thee 
with  fire."  Great  was  the  king's  distress  and  great 
was  the  distress  of  his  subjects. 

There  lived  in  the  town  at  this  period  a  man 
named  Kerikeri.  Some  time  before  the  event  I  am 
relating  to  you  took  place,  he  had  dreamed  that 
Bumba,  the  divine  ancestor  of  his  people,  had  visited 
him  and  told  him  to  go  to  a  certain  spot  on  a  certain 
road,  to  break  twigs  from  a  certain  tree,  and  to 
preserve  them  carefully.  This  he  had  done,  and 
when  the  twigs  had  become  very  dry  Bumba 
appeared  again  in  a  dream,  praised  him  for  his 
obedience,  and  taught  him  how  to  obtain  fire  by 

293 


THE  MAKING  OF  FIRE 

friction.  He  showed  him  how  to  take  one  stick  and 
how  to  twirl  it,  pressing  its  blunt  point  against 
another  stick  which  was  lying  on  the  ground ;  he 
showed  him  how  to  shift  his  hands  up  again  when 
they  got  too  far  down,  and  he  showed  him  how,  if 
he  turned  the  stick  fast  enough  and  pressed  strong 
enough,  a  hole  was  produced  in  the  twig  lying  on 
the  ground,  and  how  the  charred  dust  would  take 
fire  after  a  time. 

Kerikeri  kept  his  secret ;  but  when  by  some 
accident  or  by  the  housewives'  negligence,  as  had 
happened  now,  all  the  fires  in  the  village  had  gone 
out,  he  would  sell  fire  at  a  high  price  to  his  neigh- 
bours. All  the  people,  foolish  and  clever,  tried  to 
discover  his  secret ;  but  he  guarded  it  carefully. 

When  he  heard  of  the  king's  request  for  fire,  he 
at  once  made  up  his  mind  not  to  let  him  have  any. 
'*  If  I  confess  to  the  king  my  power  to  make  fire, 
he  thought,  he  will  order  me  to  tell  him  my  secret, 
and  the  nice  profit  I  make  out  of  selling  fire  will 
disappear."  So  he  told  the  town -crier  that  the 
people  who  had  informed  him  that  Kerikeri  could 
make  fire  at  will  had  lied.  "  Am  I  wizard,"  he  cried 
out,  "that  I  could  do  what  is  in  no  man's  power? 
Why  not  ask  me  to  make  rain,  or  sunshine  ?  Some 
enemies  of  mine  bent  on  my  destruction  have  in- 
vented this  story,  so  that  the  king  should  decide  to 
have  me  killed." 

King  Muchu  Mushanga  had  a  very  lovely  daughter 
named  Katenge.  Her  skin  was  beautifully  brown 
and  as  smooth  as  the  ivory  that  had  been  kept  in 

294 


A  Parasite 

Many  of  the  vines  of  the  forest  are  parasitic,  and  slowly,  but  inevitably,  kill  their  host. 


11 


THE  MAKING  OF  FIRE 

the  royal  treasury  for  hundreds  of  years ;  her  face 
was  as  pleasant  to  look  at  as  the  full  moon ;  her 
eyes  shone  like  stars  on  a  moonless  night ;  when  she 
opened  her  mouth  for  a  smile,  you  had  to  shade  your 
eyes,  such  was  the  glittering  of  her  teeth ;  when  she 
opened  her  mouth  for  a  laugh,  it  sounded  like  the 
song  of  the  plantain  eater  when  he  calls  in  love  for 
his  mate  ;  when  she  opened  her  mouth  to  speak, 
wisdom  poured  forth  like  water  from  a  spring.  She 
was  as  sweet  as  honey,  and  as  good  as  an  infant  in 
its  mother's  arms. 

The  king  was  much  grieved  not  to  be  able  to  get 
any  fire.  He  had  to  sleep  in  the  cold,  and  had  to 
eat  uncooked  food ;  but,  worst  of  all,  he  felt  the 
humiliation  that  he,  who  was  ruler  of  so  many  people, 
should  be  at  the  mercy  of  such  a  humble  man  as 
Kerikeri.  So  he  fell  ill,  and  all  the  herbs  that  wise 
men  and  old  women  brought  him  could  not  cure  him. 
Katenge  saw  her  beloved  father  pining  away,  so  she 
went  to  him  and  said  :  "  Dear  father,  don't  give  way 
to  despair.  Where  a  powerful  k'  ig  fails  a  pretty  and 
clever  woman  may  succeed.  I  shall  try  to  find  out 
Kerikeri's  secret  so  that  your  heart  may  be  at  peace 
again."  Muchu  Mushanga  moaned.  "  If  I  live  to 
see  you  do  so  I  shall  make  you  the  greatest  woman 
of  my  kingdom ;  you  shall  be  honoured  and  sit 
amongst  the  elders  like  a  man,  and  I  shall  make  your 
name  revered  by  future  generations." 

When  Katenge  left  the  king  she  walked  home- 
wards in  deep  thought.  How  could  she  help  her 
father?    Suddenly  she  saw  at  the  other  end  of  the 

295 


THE  MAKING  OF  FIRE 

street  Kerikeri  coming  in  her  direction.  When  he  came 
near  her,  he,  as  it  became  a  low  person,  knelt  down 
on  the  side  of  the  way  to  let  the  princess  pass.  But 
she  stopped,  and,  smiling  her  most  winning  smile, 
said :  "  Sweet  youth,  it  pains  me  to  see  you  humble 
yourself  before  me ;  princess  as  I  am,  I  should  like  to 
lift  you  up  with  my  own  hands.  But  I  may  not,  for 
should  my  father  hear  of  it  he  most  certainly  would 
kill  me.  Alas,  Kerikeri  does  not  care  for  poor 
Katenge ;  would  he  not  otherwise  ask  her  to  meet 
him  in  secret  at  night,  when  no  one  is  by  who  could 
tell  tales  to  her  father  ?  " 

Kerikeri  felt  a  shock  at  his  heart ;  he  tried  to 
speak,  stammered,  jumped  up,  and  then  ran  away 
like  mad.  Katenge  thus  saw  that  she  had  succeeded 
in  capturing  his  love ;  and  full  of  hope  she  returned 
to  her  hut.  Soon  after  this  she  noticed  Kerikeri's 
best  friend  prowling  about  near  her  home,  so  she 
sent  her  confidential  slave-girl  to  ask  him  whether  he 
bore  any  message  from  Kerikeri.  The  messenger  told 
her  that  his  friend  was  dying  with  love  for  her 
mistress,  and  that  if  Katenge  would  come  that  very 
evening  to  his  hut,  she  would  be  sure  to  find  him 
alone  waiting  for  her. 

When  everyone  in  the  village  was  asleep,  she 
stole  out,  went  to  Kerikeri's  hut  and  knocked  at  the 
door.  It  was  a  very  dark  night.  Kerikeri  admitted 
her,  and  she  sat  down  on  a  mat  and  remained  silent. 

"  Why  art  thou  so  silent,  beloved  ? "  asked 
Kerikeri ;  "  dost  thou  not  love  me  any  more  ?  Let 
me  hear  thy  sweet  voice ;  tell  me  that  thou  lovest 

296 


THE  MAKING  OF  FIRE 

me.  Oh  tell  me  that  there  is  hope  that  I  may  call 
you  my  own  !  " 

But  Katenge  replied  :  "  How  can  I  think  of  love 
when  I  am  freezing  in  your  house  ?  Go  and  fetch 
fire,  that  I  may  behold  thee,  O  sweet  one,  and  my 
heart  may  become  warm." 

In  vain  did  Kerikeri  implore  the  princess  to 
remember  that  no  fire  could  be  found  in  the  village  ; 
in  vain  did  he  request  her  to  break  silence ;  she  would 
only  reply  like  an  obstinate  child  :  "I  want  a  fire  !  " 
At  last  he  fetched  his  fire-sticks  and  kindled  a  fire 
whilst  the  princess  watched  attentively.  When  she 
saw  the  *  flame  blaze  up  brightly,  she  jumped  up, 
clapped  her  hands  with  joy,  and  exclaimed  :  "  Did 
you  think,  you  conceited  fool,  that  I,  a  king's 
daughter,  loved  you  ?  It  is  your  secret  that  I 
wanted,  so  as  to  save  my  father's  life ;  now  that 
I  know  how  to  make  fire,  you  may  marry  a  slave- 
girl  to  keep  it  alight  for  you." 

The  king,  when  his  daughter  brought  him  the 
good  news,  at  once  recovered.  And  he  kept  his 
promise  to  her,  for  even  to-day,  amongst  the  highest 
councillors,  there  always  is  a  woman,  who  is  great 
amongst  the  great.  In  time  ■  of  peace  she  wears  a 
bow-string  as  an  ornament  round  her  neck ;  but  if 
the  country  is  in  peril  she  removes  it  and  hands  it 
to  the  commander  of  the  army,  who  then  sallies 
forth  and  destroys  the  enemy.  And  this  woman, 
so  great  and  powerful,  still  bears  the  title — Katenge. 


297 


WHAT  THE  DOG  HAS  DISCOVERED 


WHAT  THE  DOG  HAS  DISCOVERED 

"  Don't  kick  that  dog !  If  he  asks  you  for  a  morsel 
of  your  supper,  give  it  to  him,  for  what  would  your 
meals  be  if  the  dog  had  not  taught  man  how  to  make 
oil  to  fry  them  in  and  how  to  obtain  salt  to  spice 
them  ? 

"  Of  course  you  did  not  know,  but  what  do  children 
know  ?  Well,  it  is  lucky  that  we  old  people  are  as 
wise  as  children  are  silly ;  we  may  at  any  rate  teach 
them.  Little  thanks  we  get  for  it !  What  do  you 
say  ?  You  will  give  me  a  fowl  to-morrow  ?  Perhaps 
you  may ;  perhaps  you  may  change  your  mind.  If 
you  did  bring  that  fowl  at  once  you  might  learn  how 
the  dog  did  it.  Well,  I  will  take  your  knife  as  a 
guarantee.  Wife,  put  this  knife  into  the  hut,  and 
put  some  charms  on  it,  so  that  the  boy  may  not  take 
it  back  by  mistake.  Of  course  he  could  only  do  it  by 
mistake." 

Many,  many  years  ago  a  hunter,  after  an  unsuc- 
cessful chase,  rested  under  a  palm-tree,  when  a  fruit 
fell  off  it  on  his  nose.  He  picked  the  fruit  up  angrily 
and  threw  it  away.  His  dog  imagined  that  it  had 
been  thrown  for  him  to  play  with,  so  he  ran  after 
it,  and  having  retrieved  it  began  to  gnaw  it.  The 
hunter  laughed  at  the  dog's  mistake ;  but  his  atten- 
tion was  aroused  when  he  found  that  the  dog,  after 
having  gnawed  off  all  the  outer  surface,  began  to  sniff 
around  for  more,  and  as  soon  as  he  found  another, 
began   to  eat  it  with  evident  delight.     The  man 

298 


WHAT  THE  DOG  HAS  DISCOVERED 

thought:  "What  cannot  harm  a  dog  cannot  harm 
me  " ;  so  he,  too,  began  to  pick  up  palm-cherries,  and 
found  their  outer  cover  very  palatable.  'This  was 
hard  luck  on  the  dog  ;  for  now  the  man  wanted  all  the 
palm-cherries  for  himself  and  left  none  for  his  dog. 

The  dog  is  a  clever  animal  and  does  reason.  When 
you  see  him  lie  there  in  the  sun,  his  eyes  twinkling, 
he  thinks.  Of  what?  Who  knows?  Well,  the 
hunter's  dog  reasoned  like  this  :  "Man  eats  the  meat 
and  leaves  the  bones  for  me  ;  man  has  eaten  the  palm- 
cherry.  I  will  see  what  I  can  do  with  the  hone  of 
that !  "  So  he  took  the  palm-cherry  stone  the  hunter 
had  thrown  away,  cracked  it,  and  lo  !  found  the  kernel 
soft  and  sweet.  But  soon  the  man,  who  observed 
him,  found  that  out  too,  and  now  man  eats  or  makes 
oil  of  both  the  palm-cherry  and  the  kernel  and  leaves 
none  for  the  dog.  But  when  your  dog  comes  near 
you  at  meal  times,  with  a  hungry  look,  wagging  his 
tail,  remember  that  it  was  he  who  taught  man  how 
nice  palm-oil  is,  and  give  him  a  tasty  fat  morsel  as 
recompense. 

Oh,  you  want  to  know  about  the  salt,  too  ? 

A  man,  not  the  same  as  before,  quite  a  different 
man,  went  one  day  a -hunting  with  his  dog.  He 
noticed  on  approaching  a  stream  that  the  animal  ate 
with  relish  some  herbs  that  grew  near  the  water.  So 
he  took  some  of  these  home,  determined  to  try  them 
himself.  His  hunting  had  been  successful,  and  as  the 
fresh-killed  venison  smoked  upon  the  fire  the  man 
tasted  the  herbs,  and,  finding  them  unpalatable,  threw 
them  into  the  fire,  where  they  were  quickly  reduced 

299 


WHAT  THE  DOG  HAS  DISCOVERED 


to  ashes.  As  the  meat  was  boiling  slowly,  attended 
to  by  the  hunter's  wife,  a  piece  of  it  fell  from  the  pot 
into  the  ashes  of  the  herbs.  The  man,  angry  with 
his  wife  for  her  careless  arrangement  of  the  meat  in 
the  pot  which  had  led  to  the  waste  of  this  morsel, 
said  to  her  :  "  There  goes  your  portion  !  "  and,  snatch- 
ing the  fallen  meat  from  the  ashes,  flung  it  to  the 
dog.  The  latter  ate  it  with  delight.  At  the  end  of 
his  dinner  the  man  gave  meat  again  to  his  dog,  this 
time  directly  from  the  pot,  and  was  astonished  to 
observe  that  the  animal  carried  the  food  to  the  ashes, 
dipped  it  carefully  into  those  of  the  herb,  and  devoured 
it.  His  curiosity  was  aroused ;  the  man  tried  the 
same  process  and  found  that  the  ashes  added  relish  to 
the  meat,  for  the  burnt  plant  was  the  very  plant  the 
negroes  use  for  making  salt.  In  this  way  was  salt- 
making  from  the  ashes  of  the  aquatic  herb  invented. 

Of  course,  at  first,  the  water  to  be  used  for  cooking 
was  simply  spiced  by  an  addition  of  the  ashes ;  but 
one  day  a  nagging  w^oman  had  just  put  the  ashes  in 
her  pot  over  the  fire,  when  she  began  to  argue  some 
point  with  her  husband ;  before  she  had  finished  all 
water  had  evaporated  and  the  pure  crystalline  salt 
was  found  in  the  bottom  of  the  pot.  Thus  for  once 
even  nagging  had  been  good  for  something,  leading 
to  a  useful  discovery. 


800 


FLEECING  THE  RICH 


FLEECING  THE  RICH 

Once  there  was  a  man  (this  happened  so  long  ago 
that  his  name  has  been  forgotten)  who  had  a  dog 
which  he  made  his  pet.  When  he  took  his  meals  the 
dog  used  to  share  them  with  him ;  when  he  turned 
into  sleep  half  of  his  couch  was  at  the  dog's  disposal. 
If  he  wanted  to  go  out  hunting  and  the  dog  seemed 
reluctant  to  stir,  he  gave  up  his  sport  and  remained 
at  home.  His  friends  used  to  chaff  him  on  his  great 
love  for  the  mangy  beast.  "  Truly,"  they  said,  "  if 
that  dog  were  your  own  son  you  could  not  make  more 
fuss  with  him."  But  the  man  did  not  mind  their 
jokes,  and  continued  to  cherish  his  dog  as  much  as 
before. 

In  the  same  village  there  lived  a  very  poor  man, 
who  was  so  destitute  of  property  that  he  never 
possessed  enough  to  pay  the  price  of  a  wife ;  in  order 
to  have  his  food  cooked  he  was  in  the  habit  of  fetch- 
ing firewood  for  some  woman  who,  in  return,  would 
give  him  a  dinner.  One  day  he  was  cutting  wood,  and 
while  thus  employed  he  pondered  over  his  poverty. 
And  he  thought  how  nice  it  would  be  to  be  rich  like 
some  people  he  knew,  and  to  have  a  nice  wife,  to  have 
cattle  and  slaves,  and  sit  smoking  under  a  shed  in  the 
village,  while  they  did  his  work.  Thus  his  thought 
wandered  away  from  his  task,  and  he  did  not  see  the 
other  man's  pet  dog  come  along.  The  dog  was  sniff- 
ing about,  when  suddenly,  by  a  misdirected  stroke, 
the  absent-minded  wood-cutter  chopped  its  tail  off. 

301 


FLEECING  THE  RICH 


You  ought  to  have  heard  that  dog  howl !  With  the 
little  stump  that  was  left  to  him  between  his  legs  he 
flew  back  to  his  master's  hut,  squealing  and  wailing 
and  marking  his  way  with  a  trail  of  blood.  His 
master,  when  he  perceived  his  pet  so  mutilated,  at 
once  took  his  bow  and  arrows  and,  bent  on  revenge, 
followed  up  the  track.  Soon  he  met  the  poor  man, 
and  asked  him  what  he  meant  by  cutting  his  dog's 
tail  off.  The  poor  man  replied  :  "  I  never  intended  to 
do  any  harm  to  your  pet ;  I  was  chopping  wood,  and 
during  a  moment  of  inattention  the  dog  got  his  tail 
under  my  axe.  If  I  could,  I  would  compensate  you ; 
but  what  can  you  expect  from  a  poor  fellow  like  me  ! " 
So  the  dog's  owner  recommended  him  to  be  more  care- 
ful in  future  and  returned  to  the  village  to  nurse  the 
dog. 

After  this  accident  the  dog  developed  a  very  bad 
temper  and  frequently  used  to  snap  at  people.  None 
dared  beat  him  for  fear  of  his  owner,  and  the  dog 
became  worse  and  worse.  One  day  a  very  rich  man 
came  to  the  village  to  pay  a  visit  to  one  of  his  friends. 
While  walking  along,  and  just  as  he  had  passed  the 
dog's  master's  hut,  the  dog  flew  out  and  bit  him  badly 
in  the  leg.  To  prevent  the  wound  from  becoming 
dangerous,  he  caught  hold  of  the  animal,  and,  pulling 
one  single  hair  from  its  coat,  applied  it  to  the  injured 
part.  Out  came  at  once  the  owner  of  the  dog,  armed 
with  his  bow  and  arrows,  and  asked  him  what  he 
meant  by  plucking  out  his  dog's  hair.  "  Your  dog 
has  bitten  me,"  said  the  rich  man,  "  and  you  know 
well  that  if  I  did  not  apply  a  part  of  the  animal  that 

302 


THE  FIRST  SUICIDE 

caused  it  to  the  wound,  it  would  become  poisoned  and 
I  might  die."  "  I  don't  mind  about  your  dying,  that 
is  your  own  business.  You  have  stolen  a  hair  of  my 
dog  and  I  want  compensation."  The  rich  man  waxed 
wroth.  "  How  is  it,"  he  exclaimed,  "  that  you  claim 
compensation  from  me,  who  only  took  a  single  hair  of 
your  dog  after  he  had  injured  me,  while  you  never 
put  in  a  claim  against  the  man  who  cut  off  his  tail 
without  any  provocation?"  "Well,  you  see,"  replied 
the  owner  of  the  dog,  "  the  other  man  was  but  a 
beggar,  whereas  you  are  rich." 

From  this  has  arisen  a  saying  that  has  been  made 
into  a  song — 

"  The  sheep  has  nice  curling  horns, 
The  sheep  has  nice  strong  legs ; 
Let  the  chief  seize  hold  of  its  leg. 
And  it  will  bleat. 
But  if  a  poor  man  seizes  it 
It  will  remain  silent." 

Nobody  expects  anything  from  a  poor  man,  but  on 
every  occasion  the  rich  must  pay,  pay,  pay. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  FIRST  SUICIDE 

There  was  once  a  man  called  Badja,  who  went  to  the 
forest  of  Mungungu  Mayonge  with  his  son.  They  had 
been  walking  for  many  hours  in  search  of  game,  but 
had  been  unsuccessful.  So  the  father  asked  his  son  : 
"How  is  it  that  we  can  see  no  game  to-day  ?  Have 
you  not  sacrificed  a  fowl  to  the  hunting  fetish  as  I 

303 


THE  FIRST  SUICIDE 

ordered  you  ? "  The  son  replied :  "  Yes,  I  have." 
Again  the  father  asked  :  "  Whence  did  you  steal  the 
fowl  you  sacrificed?"  "I  did  not  steal  it,"  the  son 
replied ;  "  I  received  it  as  a  present  from  my  mother." 
"  Oh,  you  wicked  boy  !  "  exclaimed  Badja,  "  don't  you 
know  the  hunting  fetish  will  accept  as  sacrifice  no 
animal  obtained  by  honest  means  ?  Verily,  I  believe 
you  insulted  the  fetish  by  your  unsuitable  gift,  and 
that  is  the  reason  that  all  the  game  avoids  us.  Get 
out  of  my  sight  and  let  me  see  you  no  more." 

So  they  separated.  After  Badja  had  been  some 
time  alone,  he  was  very  sorry  for  having  treated  his 
son  so  harshly,  so  hoping  that  he  was  still  close  by, 
he  shouted  for  him  to  come  back  again.  But  the  boy, 
who  had  seen  his  father  in  a  bad  temper,  did  not  dare 
to  return,  fearing  that  he  would  give  him  a  beating ; 
so  when  turning  round  a  corner  in  the  thicket  he 
suddenly  beheld  him,  he  tried  to  hide  in  the  crevice 
of  a  hollow  tree.  Now,  these  hollow  trees  are 
frequently  haunted  by  evil  ghosts,  and  when  the  boy 
entered  the  crevice  the  ghost  in  the  tree  at  once 
attacked  him  and  killed  him.  Great  was  the  father's 
grief  when  he  saw  the  body  of  his  son.  "Woe  is  to 
me,"  he  exclaimed,  "my  son  has  died  through  my 
fault !  What  shall  I  do  ?  I  wish  I  could  be  in  his 
place  and  he  in  mine."  So  he  sat  over  the  body  for 
many  hours  lamenting  and  tearing  his  clothes.  At 
last,  driven  by  the  pangs  of  hunger,  he  had  to  leave  it 
and  returned  to  the  villasfe.  As  soon  as  he  arrived 
there  the  villagers  asked  him :  "  You  went  to  the 
forest  with  your  son,  and  you  have  come  back  alone. 

304 


THE  FIRST  SUICIDE 


Pray,  tell  us,  where  have  you  left  him  ?  "  He  replied, 
"  Alas,  he  died  in  the  forest  of  Mungungu  Mayonge." 
"  What,"  they  rejoined,  you  let  your  son  perish  thus 
in  the  forest,  and  dare  to  show  yourself  again  in  the 
village  ?  Verily,  we  believe  you  have  murdered  your 
own  child,  and  have  returned  to  boast  of  your  misdeed. 
Go  again,  and  at  once  to  the  forest  of  Mungungu 
Mayonge,  and  if  you  cannot  bring  back  your  son  let 
us  see  your  face  no  more." 

So  Badja  went  back  to  the  forest,  wandering 
about,  not  knowing  where  to  go.  Freezing  in  the 
cold  night  he  dared  not  seek  consolation  in  sleep,  lest 
some  wild  animal  might  devour  him,  and  soon  hunger 
and  thirst  became  unbearable.  At  last  he  exclaimed  : 
"  I  can  live  in  this  misery  no  longer ! "  and  taking  a 
strong  creeper  he  climbed  up  a  high  tree,  tied  one  end 
to  a  branch,  the  other  round  his  neck,  and  hurled 
himself  into  space.  Thus  he  died  ;  but  to  this  day  his 
ghost  haunts  the  forest  of  Mungungu  Mayonge ;  and 
no  hunter  dares  to  enter  this  forest  by  night  lest  the 
ghost  of  the  suicide  destroys  him. 


A  STORY  RELATING  HOW  PEOPLE  LEARNED  TO 
DRINK  FROM  BROOKS  AND  RIVERS 

Long  ago — a  hundred  years  ago  ?  A  thousand  years 
ago  ?  Who  knows  ? — people  did  not  know  how  to 
drink  out  of  brooks  and  rivers,  and  when  they  were 
thirsty  they  would  go  to  a  swamp,  pick  certain  plants 
and  squeeze  the  juice  into  their  mouth.    At  that  time 

305  u 


LEARNING  TO  DRINK 

there  lived  a  man  called  Bonde  Ilonga,  who  had  a 
wife  called  Beleke  Beleke.  This  good  woman  had  a 
nasty  temper  ;  she  would  never  be  satisfied,  whatever 
her  husband  might  do  to  please  her.  If  he  gave  her 
some  rare  feathers  that  she  might  ornament  herself 
for  a  dance,  she  would  say :  "I  don't  want  these  ugly 
feathers  ;  could  you  not  bring  me  some  shells  ? "  If 
he  gave  her  a  pine-apple,  she  wanted  bananas ;  did  he 
give  her  a  bracelet,  she  was  sure  to  have  wanted  a 
ring. 

One  day  he  went  out  hunting  and  killed  an  animal 
which  he  took  back  to  his  wife.  Instead  of  thanking 
him  for  his  present  she  said :  "  What  do  you  bring 
me  this  disgusting  meat  for  ?  I  don't  want  it ;  take 
it  away  and  get  some  of  another  kind."  So  the  good- 
natured  Bonda  Ilonga  took  his  bow,  called  his  dog, 
and  went  back  to  the  forest. 

For  a  long  time  they  walked  through  the  forest  in 
search  of  game,  the  dog  in  front,  the  man  behind, 
until  they  came  to  a  lake.  Thirsty  by  his  exertions, 
the  dog  sprang  into  the  water  and  drank  long  and 
deep,  the  man  regarding  him  with  the  greatest 
astonishment ;  but  his  amazement  was  still  greater 
when  the  animal  suddenly  fell  dead.  "  What  good 
is  it  for  me,"  thought  he,  "to  return  to  the  village 
without  my  dog?  I  shall  be  the  laughing-stock  of 
all  the  hunters.  If  I  had  not  such  a  wicked  wife  my 
faithful  dog  would  not  have  perished.  But  I  won't 
go  back  to  her  again ;  I  will  drink  water  and  perish 
also." 

So  he  too  drank  deeply ;  but  instead  of  dying,  as 

306 


LEARNING  TO  DRINK 

he  expected,  he  felt  refreshed  and  fortified.  "  It 
won't  act  on  me,"  he  said  sorrowfully,  "  but  I  will  take 
some  home  to  destroy  that  wicked  wife  of  mine.  My 
dog  has  died  through  her  fault,  let  her  die  too."  Then 
he  filled  up  his  cup  with  water  and  returned  to  the 
village.  Going  to  his  wife  he  said  :  "  It  is  your  fault 
that  my  dog  drank  this  water  and  died ;  therefore 
you  shall  drink  and  perish  likewise."  The  woman 
implored  him  not  to  kill  her,  and  Bonde  Ilonga,  who 
was  very  kind  and  tender-hearted,  at  last  said  :  "  May 
this  be  a  lesson  to  you ;  I  will  pardon  you  this  time, 
but  you  must  never  show  me  a  bad  temper  again." 

"  You  pardon  me  ? "  the  woman  sneered  ;  "  I  don't 
want  your  pardon  !  And  won't  you  be  sorry  when  I 
am  dead,"  and  out  of  sheer  spite  she  drank  the 
draught  she  believed  to  be  deadly.  When  she  had 
drained  the  cup  she  laughed,  and  said  :  "  You  silly 
man,  this  is  not  only  nice  but  it  is  delicious ;  go  and 
get  me  some  more." 

So  Bonde  Ilonga  went  daily  to  the  pool  in  the 
forest  to  fetch  water  for  his  household.  One  day, 
when  his  wife  again  had  one  of  her  fits  of  bad  temper, 
she  said :  "  To-day  I  will  come  with  you."  Bonde, 
however,  forbade  her  to  do  so ;  yet  when  he  had 
started  he  saw  that  she  was  following  him ;  and  all 
his  commands  and  entreaties  were  insufficient  to  per- 
suade her  to  obey  him.  At  last  he  had  to  give  in, 
but  he  said :  "  You  shall  have  your  way  and  come 
with  me ;  but  I  beseech  you,  don't  go  near  the  water, 
and  on  no  account  bathe  in  it." 

When  they  arrived  at  the  pool  the  woman  at  once 

307 


THE  SQUIRREL'S  CLEARING 

jumped  into  the  water  and  began  to  wash.  Bonde 
Ilonga  was  very  angry.  "  How  dare  you,  you  accursed 
woman,  soil  the  water  we  drink  ?  What  shall  we  find 
to  drink  in  future  ?  "  he  said.  She  retorted  :  "  Had 
you  not  forbidden  me  to  bathe,  I  never  should  have 
thought  of  doing  it,  so  it  is  all  your  fault.  But  never 
mind,  you  see  these  small  shrubs  around  this  pool ; 
they  shall  grow  and  grow  until  they  are  big  trees,  and 
then  they  shall  produce  a  drink  far  superior  to  this." 

For  once  she  told  the  truth,  for  the  bushes  began 
to  grow  until  they  became  tall  palm-trees,  from  which 
palm- wine  could  be  obtained,  and  up  to  this  day  the 
Bangongo  people  believe  that  but  for  Beleke  Beleke's 
bath  in  the  pool,  the  palms  would  have  remained 
shrubs  and  would  never  have  grown  into  trees.  For 
her  disobedience  to  her  husband,  however,  Beleke 
Beleke  was  compelled  to  fetch  water  by  herself,  and 
that  is  why  women  perform  this  duty  to  this  day. 


THE  SQUIRREL'S  CLEARING 

One  day  in  a  village,  the  name  of  which  I  have 
forgotten,  or  maybe  have  never  known,  the  men 
decided  that  they  would  go  hunting.  If  a  hunt  is 
to  be  successful,  as  you  know,  it  is  important  that 
a  stolen  fowl  should  be  offered  to  the  hunting- 
wizard  ;  it  is  of  no  use  to  offer  one  obtained  by 
honest  means ;  it  simply  would  be  wasted.  So 
the  hunters  stole  a  chicken,  gave  it  to  the  fetish- 

308 


THE  SQUIRREL'S  CLEARING 

man,  and,  full  of  expectations,  went  off  on  their 
expedition. 

Before  leaving  the  village,  however,  the  hunters, 
headed  by  the  wizard,  danced  round  the  village, 
singing  magic  songs.  Then  the  hunting  fetish  was 
brought  with  awful  blowing  of  horns  to  the  biggest 
tree  near  the  village,  and  set  down  at  the  foot  of  it. 
The  wizard  then  threw  some  of  the  bark  of  the 
tree  on  the  hunters'  heads,  and,  with  shouting  and 
yelling,  they  started  for  the  woods. 

There  the  nets  were  soon  spread  ;  the  chief 
assigned  everyone  his  position,  and  when  he  had 
done  so  all  the  hunters  clapped  their  hands  three 
times.  Then  the  dogs  were  let  loose,  the  men 
shouted,  the  dogs  yelped,  boys  blew  ivory  horns, 
and  soon  the  whole  party  were  driving  lustily 
towards  the  nets. 

The  nets  had  been  put  up  in  a  glade,  and  when 
the  hunters  arrived  there  they  found  that  a  squirrel 
had  been  caught  —  a  squirrel,  but  nothing  more. 
This  place  henceforth  became  to  be  known  as  "  The 
Squirrel's  Clearing." 

Soon  afterwards  a  huge  leopard  which  had  be- 
come old  and  stiff  took  up  his  residence  in  this 
clearing.  "  I  am  too  old,"  he  thought,  "  to  hunt 
the  swift  antelope ;  I  shall  live  in  future  on  the 
fat  goats  which  man  keeps  in  the  village  near  by." 
But  when  he  had  slaughtered  his  first  goat  the 
warriors  sallied  forth  and  killed  him.  Great  was 
the  joy  of  the  villagers  at  the  destruction  of  such  a 
great  and  dangerous  animal ;  they  clustered  round 

309 


THE  SQUIRREL'S  CLEARING 

the  carcass  in  admiration,  and  asked :  "  Where  did 
you  kill  it  ? "  The  hunters  replied  :  "We  killed  it 
in  the  squirrel's  clearing." 

Shortly  afterwards  an  elephant  made  his  home 
in  the  same  place,  and  likewise  fell  a  victim  to  the 
prowess  of  the  local  hunters.  Crowds  came  from 
all  the  country-side  to  feast  on  the  meat,  and  on 
their  way  inquired  where  the  animal  had  been 
killed.  Again  was  the  answer,  "  In  the  squirrel's 
clearing." 

Then  the  dead  elephant  mused  to  himself:  "Why 
is  this?  Why  do  they  name  their  clearing  after  a 
mere  squirrel,  when  a  fine  beast  like  the  leopard, 
and  a  noble  animal  like  myself  have  been  slain 
there  ? " 

And  man  has  since  been  always  the  same ;  once 
he  has  connected  two  ideas  he  cannot  separate  them 
any  more.  A  man  who  considers  another  one  his 
enemy  will  continue  to  consider  him  so,  even  if  this 
other  man  shows  him  all  possible  kindness. 

From  this  story  a  proverb  has  arisen.  When 
a  man  is  continually  trying  to  fasten  a  quarrel 
upon  one  of  his  fellows,  when  he  is  always  talking 
about  him,  saying,  "  So-and-so  has  done  this  and 
that,  or  So-and-so  has  said  this  and  that,"  the 
latter  will  say,  "  Why  have  you  my  name  always 
on  your  lips  ?    Am  I  the  squirrel's  clearing  ? " 


310 


THE  CHIEFS  REVENGE 


THE  CHIEFS  REVENGE 
(basonge  story) 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  great  chief  who 
ruled  over  all  the  Basonge  people.  His  name 
was  Kilo  Gwambele,  and  he  was  a  mighty  hunter. 
It  was  his  habit  to  take  the  lead  when  his  people 
went  out  in  the  pursuit  of  game ;  it  was  he  who 
posted  those  hunters  who  owned  nets  and  gave 
directions  to  those  whose  duty  it  was  to  drive  the 
game  with  dogs  into  them.  Although  advanced  in 
age  he  knew  well  how  to  whirl  a  spear,  and  his  aim 
with  bow  and  arrow  was  unerring. 

One  day,  after  a  copious  rain  had  fallen  in  the 
night,  the  chief  summoned  his  people  for  a  hunting 
party.  There  was  a  bustle  in  the  village !  The 
dogs  were  whistled  for,  bows  were  tested,  spears 
sharpened,  nets  repaired,  and  the  hunting  horn 
sounded  lustily.  In  Indian  file  the  party  started. 
When  they  had  left  the  cultivated  ground  round 
the  village  the  old  experienced  men  were  sent  out 
to  find  the  track  of  some  game.  They  soon  returned 
and  reported  a  huge  herd  of  water  hogs  in  a  swamp 
in  the  middle  of  a  small  wood.  Kilo  Gwambele 
ordered  the  nets  to  be  spread  on  one  side  of  a 
thicket,  sent  the  men  with  the  dogs  to  the  opposite 
end  of  it ;  the  rest  of  the  men  were  divided  into 
groups,  each  guarding  one  side  of  the  wood.  The 
yelping  of  the  dogs  speedily  resounded,  together 
with  the  noise  made  by  the  rattles  attached  to 

311 


THE  CHIEF'S  REVENGE 


them ;  and  suddenly  a  great  number  of  wild  pigs 
came  rushing  along  at  a  furious  rate  straight  for 
the  chief. 

The  chief  let  them  approach  up  to  a  few  paces, 
and,  selecting  the  biggest  boar,  laid  him  low  with  a 
well-aimed  arrow.  Drawing  his  knife  he  approached 
the  big  brute  to  finish  it,  when  suddenly  it  got  on 
its  legs  again  and  charged  the  chief  A  young  slave, 
seeing  the  danger  his  master  was  in,  raised  his  bow 
and  shot  at  the  infuriated  boar ;  but  he  missed  it, 
and  the  arrow  pierced  the  side  of  the  chief,  who  fell 
down  mortally  wounded.  A  cry  of  horror  escaped 
the  lips  of  the  onlookers,  then  all  the  men  rushed 
at  the  luckless  slave  to  kill  him  for  his  clumsiness. 
But  the  dying  chief  intervened  and  protected  him 
with  his  own  body.  "  Stop,"  he  exclaimed,  "  through- 
out all  my  long  life  I  have  tried  to  be  a  just 
man ;  do  you  wish  that  my  death  should  cause  an 
injustice  to  be  committed?  This  poor  slave  boy 
has  killed  me  in  trying  to  save  my  life,  would  you 
who  stood  by  inactive  when  I  was  in  danger  be  his 
judges  ? " 

The  men,  lamenting  loudly,  carried  their  chief 
back  to  the  village,  and  when  night  fell  the  dying 
man  gave  the  slave  goods  and  money,  and  then 
ordered  his  wife  to  help  him  to  escape  unobserved ; 
and  in  this  she  was  successful. 

The  next  morning  the  chief  was  found  dead  in 
his  house. 


312 


INDEX 


Administration,  68 ;  difficulties  of, 

114,  247 
Adulter)',  95,  178,  266 
Advice  to  Europeans.  239 
Agriculture,  87,  132,  171,  177 
Alcoholic  drinks,  246 
Animals,  42,  43,  44,  45,  46,  47,  48,  49, 

50 ;  destruction  of,  51,  63  ;  mode  of 

killing,  83 
Anthropology,  66,  69 
Arab  rule  in  the  Congo,  26  ;  cruelties 

of,  33 ;  slave-raiding,  55 ;  native 

chiefs  under,  55 
Arbitration,   author's,  70;  between 

Bayanzi,  Bambala  and  Wangongo, 

160,  183  ;  between  Yongo  and  Bak- 

wasamba,  228 ;  between  Moambi 

and  Bumbu  tribes,  254 
Arts  and  crafts,  pottery  making,  88  ; 

weaving  and  basket-work,  88,  224  ; 

ironwork,  89  ;  building,  89  ;  wood- 

carving,  224 

Baluba  carriers  and  European,  218 
Bambala  country,  the,  73,  131 
Bambala  tribe,  77-79,  96,  128,  194  ; 

Southern,  200 
Barter,  methods  of,  62 
Basket-work,  88 

Batetela  ex-soldiers,  insurrection  of, 
52 

Bayaka  rising,  a,  143 

Beer  and  wine,  21,  85,  224 

Belgian  Congo,  the,  22 

Biere,  crossing  the  river,  259 

Birds,  194,  195 

Blackberries,  45 

Blind  boy,  a,  142 

Blue  blood,  221 

Boats,  27 

Bobo,  bugler,  186 

Body  and    soul,  beliefs  concerning 

the,  174 
Bond  against  bloodshed,  a,  73 
Bracelets,  insignia  of  freedom,  222 


Braggadocio,  an  official's,  158 

Bride  price,  the,  134,  265 

Buffalo,  adventure  with  a,  49 ;  an 

old  bull,  64 
Burial  customs,  98,  105,  137,   174 ; 

burial  alive,  105 
Bush-burning,  51,  162 
Bush  tribes,  23 

Cannibalism,  25,  68 ;  attempt  to 
abolish,  69,  81,  83,  84,  120,  171, 
177,  202,  223,  233 

Cape  Akalonga,  42,  44 

Carriers,  153,  167,  204 

Cattle,  47 

Charms,  88 

Chatula,  wizard,  exposure  of,  232 
Chiefs,  native,  96,  102 ;  hereditary 
office  of,  173 ;  election  of  new, 
184,  Murikongo,  221  ;  power  of, 
224 

Children,  94,  134,  135;  beliefs  con- 
cerning, 203 

Chimbana,  61 

Cicatrices,  23,  25 

Circumcision,  135 

Civilisation,  European,  23 

Clothing,  78,  131,  170,  221 

Colonisation,  injustice  of,  243 

Compensation,  payment  of,  70,  73, 
244 

Congo,  controversy  concerning  the, 
17 ;  first  impression  of  the,  19 ; 
scenery,  23 ;  river,  49 ;  officials  in 
the,  192 

Congo  State  Officer,  visit  of,  185 
Cookery,  native,  60,  66,  82 ;  cooks, 

66 

Counting,  native  system  of,  241 

Courtesy,  native,  124,  205 

Cripples,  treatment  of,  142 

Customs,  in  war,  70,  101 ;  judicial, 
71 ;  betrothal,  94  ;  divorce,  93,  134  ; 
commercial,  96 ;  burial,  98  ;  mourn- 
ing, 98 ;   burial  alive,   105,  132 ; 


INDEX 


marriage,  95,  134 ;  use  of  names, 
165 ;  relations-ill-law,  173  ;  skulls, 
69,  198,  202 ;  European,  respect  for, 
234 ;  etiquette,  235 

Dam  built  by  natives,  193 

Danniels,  Lieutenant,  180,  182,  183 

Debtor  and  creditor,  92,  133 

Desert,  the,  118 

Diseases,  native,  31 

Disputes,  settlement  of,  71,  97 

Divorce,  95,  134 

Domestic  pets,  46, 194;  animals,  50 
Dutch  language,  teaching  a  Belgian 
the,  65 

Dying  man's  warning,  a,  19 

Engagements  to  native  girls, 
author's,  129,  266 

Englishmen  killed  by  a  leopard,  43 

Ethnographical  investigation,  method 
of,  104 

Etiquette,  native,  235 

European,  and  servants'  hair,  234 ; 
and  forbidden  chicken,  237;  and 
native  servants,  238 ;  solidarity, 
247;  the  European  in  Africa,  237, 
243 ;  a  European  resident,  204  ;  first 
European's  visit  to  Yongo,  225 

Fauna  and  flora,  native  knowledge 
of,  242 

Fetishes,  150;  interview  with,  151; 

invocations  to,  179,  257 
Finery,  native  love  of,  246 
Fines,  native,  235 
Fishing  adventure,  147 
Folk-lore,  138;  significance  of,  269, 

271,  292 

Food,  scarcity  of,  20,  22,  26,  60,  122, 
132;  importance  of  good,  67,  68; 
native,  80,  211 

Ford  at  Kasongo,  30,  82,  171 

Forest,  the  African,  198 

"  Fox, "  180,  190  ;  and  the  cat,  195 

Pumu,  96 

Gambling,  137 

Game,  20,  46,  49,  50,  122,  146,  195 
Game  laws,  infringement  of,  255 
Game  pit,  caught  in  a,  207 
Games,  137 
Gardens,  87,  193 
Gestures,  native,  240 
Ghost  stories,  98 
Goats,  presents  of,  193 
Gold  mines,  60 


Goose,  a  grey,  196 

Government,  European,  114;  native, 
224 

Grey,  George,  52 

Guest,  a  distinguished,  74 

Guinea-fowls,  194 

Hairdeessing,  modes  of,  79, 170, 176 

222 

Hemp-smoking,  62 
Hen-pecked  chief,  misled  by,  213 
Hippopotamus,  Bobo's  story  of  a, 
188 

Honesty,  native  conception  of,  251 
Houses,  native,  89,  119,172,  224 
Humour,  native,  185: 
Hunting,  native,  100,  122,  133,  171, 
209 

Illness,  author's,  32,  38,  41 
Inheritance,  laws  of,  94,  133 
Insect  pests,  58,  118,  215, 
Ironwork,  88 

Johnston,  Sib  H.  H.,  165 

Joubert,  Captain,  39 

Journey,  to  Stanleyville,  23  ;  to  Cape 
Akalonga,  42  ;  up  the  river  Congo, 
49 ;  to  Lake  Kisale,  51  ;  to  Europe, 
53  ;  to  Kongo,  57 ;  to  the  South, 
117  ;  to  Kikwit,  198  ;  to  village  of 
Murikongo,  259 

Judicial  methods,  native,  71-73 

Justice,  Earopean  administration  of, 
114 

Kabambara,  32 

Kalala,  110, 118,  123  ;  and  the  pigeon, 
123,  152,  154 ;  and  the  fox-terrier, 
ISO,  195,  214 

Kanda  Eanda,  47 

Kasai  Company,  the,  60 

Kasai  district,  the,  22,  53 ;  people , 
211 

Kasongo,  30 

Katanga,  the,  41,  50 

Kiampu,  wealth  of,  144 

Kikwit  (Matari),  200,  250 

Kimputu  bug,  the,  31,  41 

Kmshasha,  20,  22,  59 

Kioko  tribe,  the,  194 

Kisabi,  46 

Kisamba,  camping  at,  206 
Kissi,  84,  99,  100,  257 
Kittens,  black  serval,  46 
Kolokoto,  77,  102 
Kongo,  66 


INDEX 


Kwango  River,  the,  61,  199 
Kwilu,  chief,  121 

Kwilu  River,  the,  61,  130,  198,  250 

Labour,  organised  native,  251 
Lake,  Moeru,  22,  41 ;  Banweulu,  51 ; 

Kisale,  51 
Land,  allocation  of,  87 ;  communal 

rights  of,  93 
Language,  importance  of  knowledge 

of  native,  240 
Leopard,  and  Englishman,  43 ;  cubs, 

46 

Leopoldville,  33,  60 
Life  of  natives,  daily,  245 
Lightning  and  rainbow,  theories  of, 
175 

Lion,  and  terrier  ,45 ;  different  cries  of, 
47 ;  man-eating  habit,  48  ;  shooting 
a  man-eater,  49 

Livingstone,  41 ,  43 

Lomain  country,  hostilities  in,  54 

Lomans  and  the  bride-price,  264 

Love  affairs,  native,  264 

Luano,  159,  169,  204 

Lusambo,  54 

Madibi,  false  alarm  in,  156 
Magicians,  100 
Makoba,  34,  41 ;  death  of,  42 
Malfeyt,  Monsieur,  30 
Manslaughter,  225 
Mapanda,  69 
Market  in  Kikwit,  253 
Marungu  Mountains,  the,  44 
Marriage  customs,  95,  134 
Matanda,  chief,  102 
Meals,  native  etiquette  concerning, 
124 

Medical  treatment,  author's,  69,  159 

Metal  ore,  magnetic,  46 

Meyey,  servant,  103,  125,  154 ;  as 

abusive  secretary,  191 
Missionaries  in  Africa,  39,  40,  192 
Mission  of  the  White  Fathers,  35, 

37-39 

Mokasa,  rescue  from  burial  alive  of, 

105 
Moloki,  178 

Momambulu,  visit  to  the  chief,  260 
Moon,  natives'  curiosity  concerning 

the,  242 
Morality,  standard  of,  225 
Mosonge,  121 
Mourning,  native,  80,  98 
"  Mrm,"  109 

Murder  of  girl  by  a  Batetela,  113 


Muri,  96,  130,  202  ;  Kongo,  221,  259 
Murikikamba,  210 
Museum  of  skulls,  69 
Music,  204, 224 ;  musical  instruments, 
225 

Mutilations,  33,  34 
Mweka,  50 

Natives,  heroism  of,  33 ;  right  treat- 
ment of,  40,  185,  234 ;  curiosity  of, 
164;  uncleanliness  of,  176;  as 
fishermen,  177;  as  hunters,  177; 
sense  of  humour,  185  ;  gaining  the 
confidence  of,  235 ;  respect  for 
white  men,  236  ;  character  of,  241 ; 
powers  of  observation,  242 ;  good 
temper  of,  244,  247 ;  love  affairs  of, 
264  ;  opinion  of  white  men,  269 

Nyangwe,  30 

Observation,  natives'  powers  of, 
242 

OfBcial  duties,  author's,  41 
Ornamentation,  personal,  25,  79,  131, 
170,  176,  201,  222 

Paddlers,  ruse  to  secure,  27  ;  Wag- 

enya,  28 
Pala,  37,  39 

Palavers,  97,  166,  183,  244 
Palm-wine,  85 
Pania  Mutumbe,  55 
Petit  Leopoldvillain.,  Le,  21 
Piano,  a  native,  225 
Pictures,  curiosity  concerning,  164, 
232 

Pidgin  English,  119 
Pigeons,  195 

Plantations,  attempts  at,  192 
Poison  of  author,  attempted,  110 
Poison  ordeal,  97,  105 
Polygamy,  95,  178 
Pottery,  native,  88 
Purification  rites.  203 
Pweto,  47,  49 

Python,  adventure  with  a,  21 

Rapt,  adventure  on  a,  215 
Rape,  225 

Red  Congo,  the,  201 

Return  to  Europe,  53,  267 

Rivers,  Congo,  23,  24,  49  ;  Kassai,  61 ; 
Kwilu,  61,  130,  198 ;  Kwango,  61, 
199;  Inzia,  61;  Yee,  142;  Zange, 
146 

Rubber,  133 

Rubber  shrub,  the,  208 


INDEX 


SCENERT  in  the  Congo,  23 
Servants'  attitude  towards  Europeans, 
238 

Skulls,  G9,  178,  202 
Slave-raiding,  55 

Slaves,  74  ;  treatment  of,  93,  95,  133, 

135,  178,  203,  253 
Snakes,  59 
Snuff,  86,  224 
Sport,  30,  147 

Stanley  Falls,  27 ;  navigation  of,  29 
Stanley  Pool,  23 
Stanleyville,  26 

Steamer  saved  by  a  Bangala,  24 
Superstitions,  98,  113,  174 
Swimmers,  native,  214 

Tanganyika,  first  view  of,  35 
Tattooing,  80 
Telegraph  line,  32 
Theft,  225 
Tobacco,  85,  86,  177 
Totcbi,  son  of  Yongo,  261 
Trade  and  currency,  91, 123,  133, 177, 
224 

Transmigration,  174 

Travel  in  the  Congo,  57 

Tribes  in  the  Congo,  native — Ngombe, 
25;  Bahuana,  62,  71,  169,  194; 
Batetela,  52 ;  Bangala,  23  ;  Baluba, 
62;  Bayanzi,  66,  71 ;  Basambe,  128, 
154  ;  Bambala,  77-79,  96,  128,  194  ; 
Bayaka,  143;  Wangongo,  154,  242; 
Basongo,  154;  Kioko,  209;  Bak- 
wese,  219-225;  Bakwamosinga, 
219,  225;  Bagwasamba,  219,  225, 


260;  Bagwandala,  219,  225;  Ba- 

pindi,  252 
Tribute,  exaction  of,  178,  225 
Tumba,  hotels  in,  57 

Van  Ackee,  Father,  46 
Vegetation,  32,  130 
Village  community,  the,  134 
Villages,  native,  96,  132 
Vine  bridge,  a,  205 
Vocabulary,  collecting  a,  145 

Waefabe,  methods  of,  174 
War,  tribal,  70,  101,  136 
Weapons,  native,  136 
White  Fathers,  the,  37-41 
Witchcraft,  178 

Women,  78  ;  prohibited  food  of,  81, 
84,  86,  87,  132;  married,  95;  rights 
of  wives,  95,  133  ;  widows,  96  ;  use 
of  names,  165  ;  and  agriculture,  87, 
171,  177,  223  ;  conjugal  fidelity  of, 
203  ;  right  treatment  of,  237  ;  native 
respect  for  white.  ''37  ;  daily  life 
of,  245 ;  market 

Wood-carving,  224 

Workmen,  native,  126 

X.,  quarrel  of  Mr.,  156, 180,  182 
Yee,  142 

Yongo,  chief,  220 ;  author's  visit  to, 
227.  258,  261 

Zappo  Zap,  54 
Zimba,  250 


Printed  by  Ballantynb,  Hanson  6^  Co. 
Edinburgh  London 


^5  ^ 


Rowl*  of  AwlKor'a  Jowmvf 


